A student at the Bunsu Cocoa College, Hamid Mohammed Shaban, says young people can build successful businesses in agriculture without owning farmland, urging them to identify opportunities within their communities and provide solutions to challenges in the sector.He encouraged young people to change their perception of agriculture, stressing that the sector offers numerous business opportunities beyond farming.Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show during a discussion on why young people should bet on agribusiness, he said there is no single area of agriculture that guarantees success. Instead, he advised young people to focus on the opportunities available in their local communities.Responding to a question on where the biggest opportunities exist for young people entering agribusiness, he explained that every successful farmer believes their own field is the most profitable.“It is very difficult to point to one space and tell a young person to join it. With my experience at Agrihouse, we visited a lot of big farms, from animal production and crop production to people providing different agricultural services. Everybody with their success story believes that the sector they are in is profitable.”He urged aspiring entrepreneurs to start with the resources already around them, noting that raising capital for agriculture can be challenging.“I would advise the young person to look around their environment and see what is available to them and what they have. It is difficult to get resources to start agriculture, so you should do it with what you have available,” he said.According to him, opportunities differ from one region to another. Young people in cocoa-growing communities can venture into seedling production or pruning services, while those in areas known for pineapple or cassava cultivation should explore businesses linked to those crops.“If you are in a cocoa-growing area, look at the opportunities around raising seedlings. If you can do pruning or something within your reach, do it. If you are in the Nsawam area and you can do pineapple, that’s fine. If you are in the Volta Region and you can do cassava, that’s absolutely fine. It depends on just starting with what is available in your area,” he added.He also challenged the long-held belief that success in agriculture depends on owning farmland.“There is a saying that the closer you are to the soil in agriculture, the poorer you are. Young people should look beyond that because agriculture is not about owning a farm. You can do a lot without even having farmland,” he said.He pointed to post-harvest losses as one of the biggest challenges that presents business opportunities for young entrepreneurs.Referring to reports of unsold maize in northern Ghana, he said organised youth groups could buy produce directly from farmers, transport it and connect it to markets, creating value while earning income.“Young people should come together because doing it alone is quite difficult. Look at the challenges people are facing because you make money by solving someone’s problem. Try as much as possible to provide valuable solutions,” he explained.He encouraged young people to register as groups, build trust within their communities and work together to mobilise support and resources.“Come together as a group, go to the villages, buy the produce, transport it and find markets for it. You don’t need to own a farm before you can make money from agriculture,” he stressed.Mr Shaban also believes that many young people have a negative view of agriculture because they are not exposed to its business potential.“I think this whole perception about agriculture and sweaty, tattered clothes comes from the fact that there is not much visibility into agriculture and not much education. People are not being taught that agriculture is not just a space for sustenance. Agriculture is a space for business,” he said.He praised Agrihouse Foundation for giving participants practical exposure instead of limiting learning to classrooms.“Agrihouse didn’t just put us in rooms to tell us what agriculture is. They took us to big farms and introduced us to people doing agriculture as a business,” he said.According to him, many young people only see small-scale farmers and therefore fail to appreciate the financial opportunities available in the sector.“With the right exposure, the right knowledge, the right training and the right mentorship, I think the perception will change.”“When we look at our basic schools and senior high schools, anytime somebody does something wrong, they are told to go and weed. It makes everybody think that weeding or agriculture is punishment, but it is not,” he said.Drawing from his experience at an agricultural boot camp, he said he had discovered that many successful people in the sector do not fit the stereotypes often associated with farming.“I realised that there are people who have money in the bush, but when they come out, you wouldn’t know they have it. If you judge agriculture just by tattered clothes and sweat, you will be mistaken. It has really changed. It has changed a lot,” he said.