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Tjmo Rhodes Makuzha Youth Interactive Writer

More and more young people are delving on agribusiness and it got me super curious.

I had to find out what I was missing and what opportunities young people have at their disposal in this critical sector.

Wanting to discuss with peers and exchange ideas, learn and grow, I joined a small business group that was mapping a way forward in this regard,led by a passionate mentor-  and boy, did I discover a whole new world! First off all, I had never seen myself as a farmer at any level, let alone imagining myself actually grasping the intricate dimensions that make up agriculture.

I discovered there were so many product options to consider, but not only that, I’m discovering we can do more than just grow the crops or rear animals but that there’s such a thing as ‘adding value,’ which I soon learnt was to do with other processing that we can do to the produce to literally add value of one sort or other.

In that business group we have been learning from some successful business people,authors and from one another through discussions.

So what we do sometimes when we meet is our agenda includes a portion where we go through certain chapters of renowned success coaching books such as “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” and “The Struggle is Real” among others to prepare ourselves in our business quest.

We then discuss the passage, set some goals or agree on some action points, with our facilitator and mentor giving us tasks that help us take the necessary action to achieve our goals.

As a small group we are accountable to one another and one cannot afford to be the weakest link, so we each do our part regardless of limitations.

 Challenges

I don’t like focussing on challenges, am just still coming out of a bubble of realising that my desire to contribute to the national economy in my small way, could be so near if I stay focused and working towards it.

Our mentor probably has no idea how he has lifted our spirits and placed a challenge before us.

And this he did through offering us a portion of his family land for next farming season, which is already upon us, to dedicate it to our project.

You should have seen us brainstorming on what to do on that piece of land!  That was some invigorating exercise, very enlightening too for me.   Our mentor also challenged us to do our research well and I’m learning so much through that research, such as on land use in Zimbabwe, Zim Agriculture Sector Policy, our country profile, the types of agriculture in our country and more.

We have also looked at a few African countries to see what we can learn in agribusiness among their youths. Right back to challenges, which I hadn’t gotten around to discussing: With all the drama and plans to excel in various fields of interest, one constant is the challenge of resources.

Youths may not necessarily have ready resources for complete execution of projects, indeed it is an area that needs to be considered when planning to venture into agriculture or any other sector.

However, as youths this should inspire us to look deeper within ourselves for what it is we do have, that can enable us to get started,  and to recognise potential destiny helpers.

So what can you and I do, to make our mark in agribusiness?

In our case with the group I mentioned, we are soon to visit the land that will be availed to us next season and just take it all in,you know how standing at the door step to your dream might feel like.

All our reading is great for information, but it will be even greater if we can take this information and apply it to our project.

So we will also enquire from those in the business, to see if any may allow us to tour their farms and learn on the ground. Remember, we were also brainstorming on what we can start with, shall it be animal husbandry, do we do horticulture, maize or small grains? The list of possibilities is long.  This we might only be able to finalise when we see the land.

And I can promise you as I walk through this journey of discovery and business venturing, I will gladly share my experiences that might help someone considering this business. From what I’ve been learning, agriculture offers great business opportunities and for young people too, it is the real deal.

I hope to interview some young people already in the  agribusiness and the veterans in the business  and have a healthy exchange of ideas that might help give more young people the courage to venture into agriculture.

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