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Thomas Chidamba Correspondent
The Ministry of Lands, Agricdulture, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement will this month honour young farmers who have worked hard to contribute to the turnaround of the country’s economy through various agricultural activities in the forthcoming second National Young Champion Farmers awards to be held in Harare.

In an interview yesterday, Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement Youth Desk Coordinator Mr Nickros Kajengo, who is coordinating the awards said youths in agriculture were working hard to support Government’s target of attaining an upper-middle income economy status by 2030 through value addition.

Mr Kajengo said the awards were aimed to honour excellent farmers and have become bigger and better.

“The National Young Champion Farmers Awards are meant to encourage good works, share knowledge, ideas and experience among the progressive farmers.

“They are meant to honour excellent work by our young people in supporting the New Dispensation.

“I am very convinced that this is the best of the work we have done given that we have brought on board varsity minds.

“The programme is being led by farmers themselves, and as Government, our role remains of offering guidance and advise. This year we are blessed to walk with the youths themselves through their Apex council, farmer unions  captains of industry in the sector, other Government departments and line ministries, youths, ICT, industry and commerce among others,” he said.

Kajengo said it was encouraging that youths in agriculture have embraced President Mnangagwa’s call to apply technology innovations in agriculture.

“Youths are fully venturing into farming and Agricultural value chains,” he said.

“They are supporting knowledge generation through research and ICT therefore, taking agriculture to another level through the use of technology in line with our President’s call to modernise the agricultural sector,” he said.

regarding climate change Kajengo said youths should embrace solutions that mitigate the effects of the phenomenon.