The Sunday News
Nqobizitha Dhlamini Business Reporter
YOUTHS must venture into farming as it is a lucrative business and has the potential to deal with the problem of unemployment which is affecting the majority of the young people in the country, an official has said.
The chairman of Young Farmers’ Association of Zimbabwe, Mr Ayanda Ndlovu, said his organisation was in the process of education youths on the need to take up farming on a commercial scale.
Last week the officials conducted an outreach programme in Woolendale in Bulawayo, educating youths in the area about the need to embrace farming.
“Youths need to desist from blaming circumstances surrounding them for problems they are facing, start working something out with the resources.
“Farming can be a money generator hence young people ought to embrace that and start farming commercially,” he said.
Mr Ndlovu said his organisation was imparting knowledge to the youth about different farming ventures they can undertake.
“Sometimes the lack of knowledge discourages people from undertaking certain projects but it is very much easy and rewarding for people to undertake farming as a business. We are dedicated to teach them various farming practices.”
Mr Ndlovu said youths have the potential to transform the whole country if they embraced agriculture.
“When we have knowledge, our parents tend to benefit as well as we would be in a better position to advice and help them to apply proper farming practices.
Not only will the youths apply this knowledge to their own projects but they will also help the elderly in the communities,” he said.
The chairman of the Woolendale Development Committee, Mr Samson Moyo, said if such a programme is implemented it had the potential to shape most youths’ future.
“Our children have a bright future if they place importance in farming for it is very rewarding.
Hence as a community we are grateful there is such an organisation that is willing to help the youths do farming projects as a way of gaining income,” he said.
Chairwoman of the Women in Agriculture which is a wing of the Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers Union Ms Audrah Mpofu said the girl child in the community stood to benefit a lot from that programme.
“Some young girls are vulnerable since they do not have means of an income. It is also difficult for them to protect themselves from contracting the HIV virus as they get married out of desperation for their up-keep. Farming can keep them out of all these troubles,” she said.
