The Sunday News
Judith Phiri, Business Reporter
THE Government is carrying out nationwide youth farmers profiling in a bid to ascertain how best to capacitate them so that they continue playing a significant role in the agriculture sector which is contributing enormously to the economy recovery of Zimbabwe.
Young agriculture entrepreneurs have emerged in Zimbabwe taking up farming as a viable career option. This growing interest by the young people could contribute to food security in a country that has struggled with food shortages for more than a decade.
In an interview, Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Resettlement Deputy Minister Douglas Karoro said youths were a significant number of farmers in the country.
“Youths in Zimbabwe are contributing immensely to agriculture be it at small scale or commercial scale level. About 40 percent of farmers in Zimbabwe are youths. Currently the Ministry’s youth desk chief coordinator Mr Nikros Kajengo is traversing the whole country to profile youthful farmers with a view to understand how best the Ministry can capacitate them,” said Deputy Minister Karoro.
He said in a bid to make sure youths in agriculture were catered for, the Ministry set up a youths desk which plays a pivotal role in identifying challenges and gaps that the youths face in the agriculture space. Deputy Minister Karoro said the desk then suggests ways of addressing the challenges and how to close gaps that exist in the production and productivity processes.
“The youths’ desk is a voice for farmers in the youth category. Youths have a clearly defined stake in Command Agriculture where the Ministry links them up with banks and other financial institutions for loans and inputs.”
He said they have two mechanisation facilities that are running, namely the John Deere and Belarus tractor facilities.
Deputy Minister Karoro said they were encouraging youths to participate in both mechanisation facilities as a way of being capacitated. Zimbabwe Young Farmers chief executive officer Mr Philip Sewera said young farmers were in need of assistance in terms of the right irrigation systems, trucks to deliver their produce and enough capital to be able to export their produce.
A young farmer in Figtree, Miss Lorraine Dube said she ventured into farming to utilise her parents’ land.
“I graduated in 2019 with a Degree in Applied Chemistry from the National University of Science and Technology. I saw it fit to go into farming instead of sitting around and looking for a job and l did not want to be a burden to my parents so that they could take care of my other siblings,” said Miss Dube.
Miss Dube said young farmers could play a crucial role in creating sustainable food systems.
“As youths we are energetic, skilled and innovative and our Government is open to progressive minds and ideas. Let us take this opportunity as the future of our country and work towards leading in the agriculture sector because Government will give us the full support.”
Emerging young farmers have formed strong and well connected communities through farming clubs. More than 5 000 young farmers network on digital platforms to share ideas, challenges and solutions.
Meanwhile, Government recently introduced the new syllabi for agriculture colleges to ensure enhanced agricultural production across the country and also to do away with the rigid education system.
The new curriculum is expected to provide a practical, relevant, market oriented and farmer-centred education system that provides hands-on experience to boost farming. In addition, it exposes students a bulk of them who are young farmers to modern farming practices and technologies. It also responds to emerging global trends in agriculture.
