So much has been talked about Uganda becoming a food basket in Africa, and without doubt, with proper planning, this can be achieved.

This requires improving roads, marketing, storage and productivity. But what falls short of the usual rhetoric from the our planners is how we shall enhance the productivity.

It is also true that over the years Uganda has registered tremendous economic growth and poverty has substantially decreased. Expansion in the construction and communications sectors has fuelled growth to about 6 per cent in the last four years. However, it is interesting to note how meagre the interventions to boost the agriculture sector is.

Look at NAADS, for instance, where a lot of money is pumped every financial year in the name of modernising agriculture. In Mukono District where I stay, for example, I have not seen in the main market people selling vegetables or foods from their farms because they got a boost from NAADS.

The question then is, are we failing? If so, is there need to address this problem if Uganda is to become a food basket? The answer is a yes. The easiest and most effective way would be to empower the youth to take up agricultural initiatives in their respective areas and districts to develop the country. And not only in agriculture, but also in the oil, banks, among other sectors.

To begin with, we can go to all our universities to enlist students (especially those doing agricultural sciences) and empower them - not only to take charge of their lives but also to build their capacities. We will then focus on how we can take these students, with their enhanced capacities and use them to help their surrounding communities. Many Ugandans are engaged in subsistence agriculture. And if the current state of affairs hold, it will be hard for Uganda to become Africa's food basket.

But not all hope is lost because Uganda is blessed with fertile land. It is amazing how desert areas can produce more food than we do in Uganda where we must produce without much hassle!

First we must acknowledge that agriculture is a very vital sector in our economy and so are the people engaged in it. I have not seen many youth interested in this sector. This is because the sector does not offer the necessary incentives. We need to get the youth involved in order to move agriculture forward.

Currently, it's rare finding youth in Uganda engaging effectively in farming! Even then, if you have an initiative that is designed to enhance agriculture where all the farmers in your programme are 40 years on average, how many more years do they still have to continue farming? And, what happens afterwards? To me it is suicide! This is a very big problem we must address. The youth have never picked interest in the agriculture because they think there is no money in the sector.

Even those who have studied agriculture for instance end up looking for employment in other sectors. They say there are no quick returns on agriculture. Should we blame the youth for this? Certainly No. It is only rational that you go where you will feel comfort. In Uganda today, everything is increasingly becoming commercialised and survival remains for the fittest.

Therefore, by encouraging the youth to get engage in agriculture, not only will the country have productive citizens but the economy will also greatly improve. The government must reverse this negative trend by preparing the psyche of students and the youth. The youth must be shown that agriculture is a truly profitable sector - given the several aspects associated with it - not just going farming. Questions and discussions with the youth should be based on how they can be made to change their attitude in favour agriculture.

In the long term, there should be national conferences and national programmes specifically targeting the youth from all institutions and concerts. The media should engage in agricultural-related development communication.