Agriculture is an occupation, which is there from the beginning of mankind, i.e. it may be around for many thousands of years and it is very much true that our civilization started only because of agriculture. In those good olden days, people considered agriculture as their life and for cultivating crops they used to migrate from one place to another in search of water to grow crops, This laid foundation for a culture, building localities, societal relationships, etc.
In modern days, agriculture has lost its charm, I would
rather say, it is often perceived as a dirty and poorly paid occupation by
many people around the world. There are many reasons which led to such a
perception and some intrinsic reasons include growing corporate jobs,
global cities, an increasing service-related economy, a surge in software
and technological developments, etc. In addition, to these reasons, Greed for
more money also has a paramount impact on not taking agriculture as a
career option by most of people.
YOUNG PEOPLE AND AGRICULTURE
Ask someone who is in his teenage or even mid-twenties, what
they want to become when they grow up and you will hear the name of many
well-known professions like pilots, doctors, engineers, etc. I wonder whether
this demands an explanation from our society, that an occupation that
supported the hunger needs of billions of people for thousands of years
don't deserve a place with these so-called well-known and well-respected
professions? I believe, agriculture is a divine profession that should be
respected and given a superior place in the minds of young people.
Governments, if not fully, but to some extent, don't promote
agriculture as a respected profession among the people, nor do they try to
include agriculture and farming in the curriculum of secondary education so
that young people can know the importance of agriculture. In addition to
these convincing points, parents don't want their children to become
farmers, and schools don't teach anything about farming, cultivation, crops,
plantations, etc. which begs pity on our education system.
WHY NOT AGRICULTURE AS A PROFESSION
Yes, you heard it right agriculture can also be treated as a
profession. The farmers who take up agriculture as an occupation have so
much knowledge about various aspects including soil fertility, seasonal crops,
rainfall expectations, pesticides, crop rotation techniques, farming
equipment, etc which demands it must be given as much importance as any
other profession in the world.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I believe, Many young people can take up agriculture as
their career option and cultivate many acres of land, bring more
technological advancements for more productive and yielding crops, contribute
to the farming community by discovering quality and hybrid cultivation
techniques, and in a broader sense, a young farmer can inspire millions of
people to take up farming as a career.
I myself, want to choose agriculture as a profession, but I
am undoubtedly sure that my family will brutally oppose my opinion and
might force me to have a good corporate life instead. This should be changed, and agriculture should be given a supreme position among all the professions out
there because without someone who cultivates food for us, we don't have
food to satisfy our hunger and I insist on calling farmers living gods.