Mufasa the Poet: Agriculture can close the distance between today and a vision

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Mufasa the Poet: Agriculture can close the distance between today and a vision

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00:04 My grandmother

00:05 was no magician,

00:07 but I've been told it was miraculous how she

00:09 schooled and fed the children with no job.

00:11 She did not pull a rabbit out of her hut.

00:13 She was known to pull strings for her children.

00:16 To my grandmother,

00:17 anyone old enough to say,

00:18 I'm hungry was old enough to go to the farm,

00:20 and I remember

00:21 we planted maize,

00:22 veggies,

00:23 beans,

00:23 potatoes,

00:24 even mangoes,

00:24 avocados.

00:25 You could have called them the fruits of our work.

00:28 Farming.

00:28 It was a passion rooted in our existence.

00:30 Our house structure did not say high standard of living,

00:33 but I'll tell you right now,

00:34 for fun,

00:34 we climbed tall fruit trees,

00:36 and it was our standard of living.

00:38 I watched a 3 acre farm

00:40 raise a banker,

00:41 a pharmacist,

00:41 an entrepreneur,

00:42 and I'm not saying farming always brought enough.

00:44 I'm saying it was pivotal

00:45 when everything was tough.

00:47 I learned

00:48 people meet people

00:49 and farm.

00:50 Do not just feed people,

00:52 they nourish communities,

00:53 they feed dreams,

00:53 they plant realities.

00:54 I say agriculture,

00:55 and it's easy to think food on the table,

00:57 but when I table our needs,

00:58 you will see agriculture has done way more for the people,

01:01 held families more than hands,

01:02 handed a future today even to people who know nothing about plants,

01:04 but some are paid for their plants.

01:06 I'm talking drivers,

01:07 engineers,

01:08 policymakers,

01:08 marketers,

01:09 a chain of jobs,

01:10 and you are free to think.

01:12 Where I come from,

01:13 and I want to say Kenya,

01:14 but I can also say Africa and still mean

01:16 to say agriculture is the backbone of our economy,

01:19 the spine to food security.

01:20 I want to say

01:21 it has upheld us,

01:23 but I can also say it has held us down,

01:25 a crown on the heads of farmers who cannot be seen in a concrete city.

01:28 But don't we feel it

01:29 when the prices are too high,

01:31 when farmers are going through it?

01:32 Isn't it a survival all through it?

01:33 Ain't we affected by factors that affect a farmer?

01:39 And yet it's like

01:41 we're left farming in the hands of our past getting older and older,

01:45 but age is not what you lose when you let agriculture be an aging sector,

01:49 when the world is peeling,

01:50 and when it takes extra skin to take care of your kin,

01:53 the hunger of those who lack something to eat will not let us sleep in peace,

01:56 and it's not just mothers.

01:57 Everyone pays when the youth cannot find a job that pays till tomorrow

02:01 is a dream,

02:02 and agriculture can close the distance between today

02:06 and a vision.

02:08 But if only we do something about a sector

02:10 that has been deemed less appealing to deal in,

02:12 if only we induce young minds to come into

02:13 a venture that needs the adventure of innovation,

02:15 creativity,

02:16 high energy,

02:16 I

02:17 close my eyes.

02:20 And for millions of young people at the end of a corner,

02:24 I see agriculture.

02:26 As a way,

02:28 a chance,

02:28 a shot

02:30 to make it,

02:31 to make it out,

02:32 to make something of themselves,

02:35 to lead self,

02:37 to lead

02:38 for all our sake.

02:42 So what are we waiting for?

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transcript

My grandmother was no magician, but I've been told it was miraculous how she schooled and fed the children with no job. She did not pull a rabbit out of her hut. She was known to pull strings for her children. To my grandmother, anyone old enough to say, I'm hungry was old enough to go to the farm, and I remember we planted maize, veggies, beans, potatoes, even mangoes, avocados. You could have called them the fruits of our work. Farming. It was a passion rooted in our existence. Our house structure did not say high standard of living, but I'll tell you right now, for fun, we climbed tall fruit trees, and it was our standard of living. I watched a 3 acre farm raise a banker, a pharmacist, an entrepreneur, and I'm not saying farming always brought enough. I'm saying it was pivotal when everything was tough. I learned people meet people and farm. Do not just feed people, they nourish communities, they feed dreams, they plant realities. I say agriculture, and it's easy to think food on the table, but when I table our needs, you will see agriculture has done way more for the people, held families more than hands, handed a future today even to people who know nothing about plants, but some are paid for their plants. I'm talking drivers, engineers, policymakers, marketers, a chain of jobs, and you are free to think. Where I come from, and I want to say Kenya, but I can also say Africa and still mean to say agriculture is the backbone of our economy, the spine to food security. I want to say it has upheld us, but I can also say it has held us down, a crown on the heads of farmers who cannot be seen in a concrete city. But don't we feel it when the prices are too high, when farmers are going through it? Isn't it a survival all through it? Ain't we affected by factors that affect a farmer? And yet it's like we're left farming in the hands of our past getting older and older, but age is not what you lose when you let agriculture be an aging sector, when the world is peeling, and when it takes extra skin to take care of your kin, the hunger of those who lack something to eat will not let us sleep in peace, and it's not just mothers. Everyone pays when the youth cannot find a job that pays till tomorrow is a dream, and agriculture can close the distance between today and a vision. But if only we do something about a sector that has been deemed less appealing to deal in, if only we induce young minds to come into a venture that needs the adventure of innovation, creativity, high energy, I close my eyes. And for millions of young people at the end of a corner, I see agriculture. As a way, a chance, a shot to make it, to make it out, to make something of themselves, to lead self, to lead for all our sake. So what are we waiting for?

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