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Elita Chikwati–Senior Agriculture Reporter 

Farming has the potential to transform young people’s lives including disadvantaged and vulnerable children for the better, Vice President Constantino Chiwenga has said. 

He said this yesterday while officiating at the young farmer pace setters’ awards organised by the Federation of Young Farmers Clubs in Zimbabwe (FYFCZ). 

VP Chiwenga said some young people who had ventured in farming had diversified and improved their livelihoods. 

He said unemployment among youths had resulted in social vices such as participating in criminal activities, teenage pregnancies and drug abuse. 

Participation of young people in agriculture, the VP said could be a vital means of improving food security, enhancing youth livelihoods and employment creation. 

“Cultivating youth entrepreneurship in agricultural value chain is critical to address youth unemployment, not only in urban areas but across the whole country. 

“There are young people who bear testimonies of how after having been supported to engage in meaningful entrepreneurial farming, they have been able to improve their income levels, enabling them to invest in their livelihood requirements,” he said. 

Some young farmers who had received support from Government programmes had been able to diversify and invest in other value chains to optimally utilise their incomes. 

VP Chiwenga challenged agricultural development stakeholders to help young people to participate in agricultural activities an enterprise. 

“The involvement of young people in agriculture in critical in cementing its sustainability. Social capital can be reinforced, through young farmers clubs and pursuing the hub and spoke model that these youths today are exhibiting,” he said. 

VP Chiwenga applauded the Agriculture Recovery Plan which was approved by Cabinet and launched by President Mnangagwa for its contribution towards the attainment of Vision 2030 and growing the Agriculture industry to a US$8,2 billion industry. 

Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Minister Anxious Masuka said the leadership of President Mnangagwa and Vice President Chiwenga would propel the sector to move from a bumper to a mega harvest during the 2021/22 season. 

“Zimbabwe’s agriculture sector was poised to become a US$8.2 billion industry by 2025, but with the stellar 36,2 percent agricultural GDP growth in 2002/21 season, we are already a US$8,2 billion industry. 

He applauded the FYFC for its contribution towards food security. 

“We are creating a platform through provincial integrated youth incubation centres to expose youth to the business of agriculture and to accelerate innovative business ideas before youth placement on farms,” he said. 

FYFCZ president, Mr Aaron Denenga said their organisation was made up of young farmers willing to find ways of growing the agriculture sector. 

“We have shown that growth and as an example currently we are responsible for just over 30 percent of grain deliveries to GMB. This is no small feat, considering 95 percent of these farmers have no collateral and no access to the banking sector, but yet they still grow,” he said.

“The federation is working tirelessly to try bridge that gap, where we can get extra financial support to bolster the members work. This year we launched the partnership with CFI and Cassava where we intended to support farmers with aggregation services and inputs through our corporate partners,” he said.