AGRO MINDSET ORGANISATION PARTNERS VINE HOUSE FARM UK LTD

David Asiamah and Nicholas Watts

To survive in this harsh corporate environment, business partnerships must be strong, collaborations must be solid and organisations must be ready to reconfigure their strategic priorities at speed, and with certainty.

Ghanaian based agricultural NGO, Agro Mindset Organisation has partnered Vine House Farm, a 2,500 acre Bird Food farm in the United Kingdom for programmes that would build capacities and business acumen of young people, and introduce them to advanced technological innovations which increases farm productivity and redefine the practice of agric production as the profession of the future.

Careers in Farming and Food Supply is a cross-industry initiative that will set about changing attitudes and aspirations towards the numerous careers on offer, from research science through production agriculture and the supply industry to land law and finance, just to name a few.

Vine House Farm, growing directly from farm to feeders is a multi award winning farm including WINNER of 2002 Marks & Spencer Organic grower of the year, WINNER of 2004 president's special award for outstanding achievement, WINNER 2006 WAITROSE organic grower of the year, WINNER 2008 supreme countryside management award, WINNER 2009 special enterprise award bird food enterprise, WINNER 2009 countryside management award, WINNER 2011 Silver lapwing award (Most Prestigious farming award in UK), WINNER 2011 Rural Enterprise Award and others more.

At a meeting, Founder and Executive Director of Agric focused NGO David Asare Asiamah, 24 who is a Ghanaian educated agriculturist said; The Organisation wants to develop a Global Partnership for Development. He added '' we hereby welcome a formal network active in providing support at different levels in order to aid coordination and the effectiveness of our work. We shall collaborate with high level institutions, industries, commercial and government entities to help in capacity-building''

Philip Nicholas Watts, owner of the farm who is also a member of the British Excellence and an Associate to the Royal Agricultural society emphasized that, '' Having travelled the world studying Farming and Wildlife he realises some of the problems that the world is facing with our growing population and although we all want cheap food, he believes that the rise in food prices which we are seeing at the moment will focus the minds of farmers all over the world and strengthen the concept of Agro mindset''.

This partnership will focus to break down stereotypes and awaken young people to an industry that is exciting, dynamic and vital to the future of the planet. With a global booming youth population facing daunting employment prospects, careers in agriculture need to be promoted. At a time when there is a rising unemployment and job prospects for school leavers becoming tougher, the timing could not be better for the agriculture industry to mount this campaign. Agromindset will take advantage of this opportunity to establish global, sustainable platforms to create a sustainable positive change.

The mission of the Agro Mindset Organisation is to educate a new generation of ethical, entrepreneurial agriculturalists in Africa; to nurture within them the critical reasoning and problem solving skills and the courage to take advantage of the vast opportunities in agrarian countries in the continent. This will lift agriculture to prominence in the Diaspora.

By David Asare Asiamah

Executive Director, Agro Mindset Organization