THERE has been much talk in some quarters about the level of youth unemployment and their involvement in crime in Guyana and the need for more robust efforts by the government to tackle these problems.
Just over two years ago, the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) estimated youth unemployment in Guyana to be around 40 per cent, but from then to now, no updated report on this matter has been made available to the public.
While there is no updated report on unemployment and any pronouncement aside from a reputable survey or study would be mere speculation, youth involvement in crime is more evident.
On any given day, a quick glance of the court cases in the newspapers will indicate that a vast majority of offenders are young people and their crime range, from among other things, possession of narcotics, burglary and break and entry.
Of course, there are other serious cases but a large number of the cases are issues of petty crimes. So youth unemployment and their involvement in crime are serious matters of concern and regardless of who the complainants are, their calls for these issues to be addressed must be treated with due attention.
Though the focus of attention has been placed on government to effect change, crime and youth employment are issues no government can address alone.
Ideally, they require a multi-stakeholder approach as well as the perpetrators to commit to change. Very often the reason proffered for youth unemployment and their involvement in crime has been lack of opportunities in society.
But is this really so? Guyana is one of the few countries in the Caribbean blessed with an abundance of arable land and fresh water and has even offered some of these areas to sister CARICOM states willing to invest in large-scale agriculture.
What the government needs to do, if it has not done so as yet in a well-planned way, is make agriculture one of the pillars of the Green State Initiative with strong focus on maintaining food security, poverty reduction and creating employment.
Through unemployment reduction and propagation of a culture of hard work, excellence and honesty, crime and the many other social issues that bedevil Guyana will be gradually reduced. But as it relates to agriculture, government has quite some work to do since farmers here are in the category of the aging population and young people generally have a negative perception of agriculture.
Here is where government has to come in and at a very early level in the school system to promote agriculture as a reputable, attractive and lucrative profession.
Agriculture should not be seen merely as work in the field, but as a profession that includes research and development, marketing and distribution and an occupation that has the power to influence national decisions.
It should be sold as a profession with many sub-professions, ranging from soil conservationist, extension advisors and biomass engineer to soil scientist, veterinarian and food microbiologist. One gets the impression that not much has been done to change the traditional view of agriculture, which in this day and age should be promoted as a modern trade with high-tech operations and a simple solution to elevate from poverty.
If this is done, more young people would be gravitating towards a career in agriculture. The task now is to get them to understand the value of agriculture, both as a tool for self-empowerment and enabling national food security.
But a sound strategy is needed as was pointed out by Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) resident representative Reuben Robertson at the recent launch of the Self-Sufficient Agriculture Services Project in Region Five. “We believe that there is absolutely no reason why Guyana through good governance, effective public policies and smart partnerships cannot be the first country in the Caribbean to zero hunger and poverty,” he told the launch.
Not only would this approach eliminate hunger and poverty, but it will also reduce youth unemployment and their involvement in crime.