What would you say about a farmer who lost his or her farmland as a result of insecurity or a farmer whose livelihood was negatively impacted as a result of a flood that ravaged all his or her crops (with total loss)? No safety net, no insurance, no interventions; How does one recoup such costs and bounce back to full business within a short while?

The rising cost of food as a result of insecurity, flooding, drought and loss of land are contributing factors to the real cost of food, which is also on the increase. Solutions to these challenges are yet to be fully explored. However, youths in agriculture are embracing the use of technology in reducing the real cost of food.

The increasing number of youths in agriculture could be linked with advancement and promotion of the use of technology to reduce the drudgery nature of farming; making farming more attractive. In the real sense, technology should be a leverage point to reduce the real cost of food so as to make entry points less stressful and the business more appealing. Sadly, the issue of farmer's education or literacy needs to be looked into at all levels. It is important to invest in improving the literacy level of farmers, which makes technology easier to understand, evaluate, increase adoption and continuity.

Farmers' education cannot be over emphasized as this provides leverage to access more relevant and timely information, increase social safety net and overall, improved livelihood. The reality of today is that the real cost of food is being paid solely by farmers and one can easily know this when you meet a farmer. Therefore, we need to help the farmers gain true independence, where they can live far above poverty line, where the real costs are shared equally by all stakeholders, and we can still enjoy its benefits equitably. There is a future where farming would no longer be linked with poverty; rather, prosperity would be the only term expressed when farmers are being mentioned. Definitely, there is shared prosperity when farmers are well equipped with the right tools to prosper!