How important is Agriculture to the well-being of a Nation?

The fact has been established that agriculture is the mainstay of any nation’s economy.

Sure Nigeria, and Angola are known for their crude oil, Sierra Leone and South Africa can boast of their large Diamond fields and Ghana pride herself in having some of largest concentration of gold in the world, yet none of these valuable resources can replace agriculture in the whole equation of achieving economic development for a nation.

If all the nations of the earth were stripped of their treasured natural resources, they would still be able to survive on agriculture alone. In fact, there would be more peace, less pollution, reduced cases of global warming and we would all live longer and healthier lives.

Of course, we would still drive cars but it would not run on petrol or diesel or any of those smokey poisons. It would be sustained by biofuels, which are evidently safer.

The first man God created was a farmer, making it the oldest profession known to man yet many are still searching for a reason why they should be proud to be called farmers.

In some urban areas, daytime prostitutes possess more charisma and self-confidence that graduate farmers. Sadly, the young farmers usually appear to be ashamed of being associated with agriculture.

I cannot help but conclude that it’s only because they fail to appreciate the value they bring to the human race.

They are part of the revered species who have kept the human race ticking for ages. That have kept the land green and beautiful. That have triggered revolutions and caused change.

Needless to say, without farmers, there would be no syringe-wielding doctors, or oil-soaked engineers or loud-mouthed lawyers. There would be no life on earth.

But thanks to agriculture and farmers, food is made available daily to billions who walk the earth. We can then trust Mr Biggs to be ready with our favourite sausages on demand. We expect to walk into the nearest Mama Put and order her to serve us a hot bowl of pounded yam with the vegetable soup well stocked with fish and meat in exchange for some shitty paper we refer to as money.

If not for farmers, we’d still probably be walking around butt-naked with only leaves covering our genitals. There would be no clothing line, none of your favourite designers, no fashion shows, and your beloved Sunday attire to church my actually consist of cocoa leafs threaded with banana leaves.

Diseases would hunt and weaken even the strongest of us and starvation would have easily turned the rest of us to cannibals.

A nation which abandons its agriculture or leaves it in the hands of charlatans and thieves to handle has already sentenced its citizens to death by suffering.

And no matter how wealthy she becomes by selling crude oil or gas or precious stones, she will remain a starving beggar to sister states much smaller and poorer but with a far more robust plan on how to feed her valued populace.