Zimbabwe Farmers Union (ZFU): 'Youth Learn and Share' a successful in Mashonaland Central.
By Josh Zinzombe
Last year, the Zimbabwe Farmers Union youth wing launched a program dubbed "Learn and Share.". The purpose of this program is to create a safe and free space for young people who are in agribusiness value chain to interact and share success stories as well as challenges they are facing in the growing agriculture sector. This program makes such deliberations possible in a relaxed environment through food and drink, where each farmer brings what they are growing at that point in time.
On Friday the journey began with a drive towards the Vale Farm in Bindura (near the popular Acadia Dam), which is owned by one of our Zimbabwe Farmers Union Youth and Mashonaland Central Secretary Tafadzwa Zimonte and his Wife. The young jovial couple of three children has utilised 72 hectares planted with seed maize and 45 hectares of soya beans, a vast amount of cattle, pigs, and goats, which is animal husbandry diversification.
The area has a beautiful scenery of mountains, wild flowers, and dams, with well maintained crops of maize and soya beans. By taking a glimpse, one would think they are no longer in Zimbabwe but at the Dubai flower gardens in the United Arab Emirates. The breath of of clean air and the sight of ducks and wild birds drinking water in one of the dams near the farm mansion is a sight that is magnificent.
The event was attended by various stakeholders from the Government department, private sector, NGOs, students from Handerson Research Station, students from the University of Zimbabwe, young farmers from Mashonaland Central and across the country, ZFU Provincial Office Farmers Coordinator, and the ZFU National Office. "I want to give my great appreciation to the Director Fisheries in the Minister of Land, Agriculture,Fisheries, Water, and Rural Development, Mr Makumbe for sending his team lead by a youth hard working officer Mr Mambeva, together with his Mazowe Research Center team from the Fisheries department," said the ZFU Provincial Farmer Coodinator Mr Jomairwa.
The Fisheries department didn't waste time and capacitated the young farmers with a short training in Fisheries focusing on both talapia and catfish.Tafadzwa, the farm owner, donated his dam and fish cages worth thousands of dollars to ZFU Mashonalad Central Youth to kick start our fish farming journey with the help of the vibrant Fisheries Department.
Mr Mambeva and his Fisheries Department committed to the youths and assured them of having a full, detailed training event and fingerlings to start the project as soon as possible. The government of Zimbabwe is on a robust drive to improve food and nutrition security.
Food security as defined by the United Nations Committee on World Food Security, means that all people, at all times have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their food preferences and dietary needs for an active and healthy life. Robust participation of young people in the agribusiness space can change the trajectory of food security in Zimbabwe and Africa as a whole, and ZFU is the leading farmer organization in making sure National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1) is a success. The NDS1 goal on food security seeks to improve self sufficiency and retain the regional breadbasket of Africa. The main objective is to increase food security by sufficiency from the current level of 45% to 100% and reduce food insecurity from the high of 59% recorded in 2020 to less than 10% by 2025.
ZFU which is the leading farmer Organization in Zimbabwe is leading the mobilization of farmers across the country in support of the government vision 2030 themed towards a prosperous and empowered upper middle income society by 2030. The fish farming project launched by the ZFU youth in Mashonaland central on Friday to improve food and nutrition security in the country is a testament which is supported by the government and will be launched in all 10 provinces and this program seeks to change the face of Agribusiness in the country and young peoples lives will definitely be transformed.
Due to climate change issues affecting everyone, especially young people, investing in other forms of protein like fish with very low methane gas emissions is now the number one priority for small scale farmers in fighting climate change. The global challenge has seen ZFU push for climate friendly methods that can ensure food security in Zimbabwe.
