Daphne Machiri
MUTOKO: The orthodoxy emerging from the country’s developmental strategies is that rural economies can be built around agriculture, whereupon they will serve as sweet spots of employment opportunities for millions of young people who will not migrate to urban areas but stay to utilize locally available resources to earn a living and create employment for others.
Anchored around the concept that farming is a business on its own, Action Aid in partnership with the Disaster Environment Management Trust (DEMT) under the PSA project decision to invest in the youth demographics’ participation in agriculture is an endorsement of their important role in the process of transformation and the push to seamlessly assist the ageing crop of farmers with skill, knowledge and innovation.
Today, Mutoko’s agriculture is on an upswing with young people largely involved as the driving force through uptake of organic farming which was introduced to curb El-Nino drought related effects.
“The program has not only empowered the youth but have made us a relevant stakeholder in the community. Why do I say so?
“You will notice that the youth were often neglected in agricultural programs as Pfumvudza/ Intwasa and moreso agricultural input schemes but with involvement in this project, we have gained acceptance. Our contributions in decision making platforms as budgeting is now even being considered though many youths are still shunning such meetings,” a program beneficiary Talent Humanikwa (28) said.
Through the project, more than 800 farmers in Mutoko District have taken up organic farming.
While a World Food Programme (WFP) hunger map for 2023/24 published on 17 January 2024 showed that 4.1 million people face food insecurity, people in Mutoko Ward 4 are singing a different tune saying the farming methods taught under the PSA project has made them food secure.
Trained as a trainer through ZIMSOF’s agro-ecology initiative, Mutoko Ward 4 agricultural extension officer, Luckie Nyatoti says out of approximately 1 600 rural farmers in her catchment, averagely 700 to 800 have taken up organic farming.
“The project has helped achieve a great milestone. In Ward 4 for instance, we have about 1600 rural farmers and out of these, at least 700 to 800 farmers have adopted organic farming, planting small grains compared to the traditional maize plant.
“The other worth noting development under this program is that it involved the youth more as they had been often left out of such initiatives. Women in agriculture were also not an exception,” Nyatoti said.
She also hopes that by the time the project reaches all 29 wards in Mutoko, the district will emerge the province’s breadbasket.
Grains adopted include pearl millet, sorghum and finger millet.
“These are even considered more healthier,” Nyatoti also said.
Meanwhile, in Zimbabwe the agriculture sector is considered strategic in terms of high employment opportunities, food security and import substitution amid climate change.
The agriculture sector is highly dynamic and the shift to climate smart production methods has increased the labour intensiveness of production, therefore young farmers have better chances of success in such an environment.
