Mr Kunle Obayan, the Director-General, National Directorate of Employment (NDE), has advocated the use of ICT and social media to attract youths to agriculture.
Represented by Mr Cyril Effiong, the Director of South-South Zone of NDE, Obayan made the call in Ilorin on Wednesday at a forum on agriculture.
The NDE Director-General said it was imperative to use the social media in portraying agriculture as an attractive profession to the youth.
He said that the farming in Nigeria was in a disadvantaged position with increasing aging farmers and without a large proportion of youths embracing it.
Obayan said the social media platform could engage Nigerian youths in agriculture via the internet and its social media such as Facebook page, Twitter and YouTube.
According to him, the power of ICT and social media can lure young people into agricultural activities.
He said that youths could lap on ICT platforms and mobile apps to enhance agricultural development along the value chain.
He said that this could trigger the establishment of a platform where the youth could share, discuss and inspire each other in farming.
Obayan said the youth could be engaged on agriculture if they were encouraged, recognised and inspired.
He said that agriculture is now a modern profession with mechanised machines for tilling land, planting, spraying and harvesting of crops. (NAN)