What are the opportunities for youth to engage in the agricultural value chain in Zimbabwe?

1. What are the opportunities for youth to engage in the agricultural value chain in Zimbabwe?

2. DEMOGRAPHIC AND AGRICULTURAL INFO • Zimbabwe Agric Sector Overview • Sector provides income for approx. 70% of pop. • Provides 60% of the raw materials for industrial sector • 40% total export earning, contributing 15-19% of GDP • 57% of the population is between 18-35 (2010 estimate)

3. CONTEXTUALISING OPPORTUNITIES: THE HOLISTIC VIEW OF AGRICULTURE • Negative perception of agriculture help by most youth across the studies • Definitional focus on agriculture as limited to primary production • To understand the value-chain and where they can participate, youth must ‘re-brand’ and modernise their definition of agriculture.

4. CONTEXTUALISING OPPORTUNITIES: THE HOLISTIC VIEW OF AGRICULTURE • Identifying the symbiotic synergies between agriculture and other sectors helps enable youth to engage and participate in the value-chain more proactively. • Holistic view of agriculture leads to a better appreciation of available opportunities, because regardless of sector we can see the links to agricultural value-chain.

5. CHALLENGES FACED BY YOUTH IN ZIMBABWE • However, Zimbabwe had a unique challenge lack of contextualised policies for different agricultural zones. • Different agricultural zones specialise in different agricultural methods and products, BUT are governed by a ‘one-size-fits-all’ policy approach. • Dualised agricultural sector: subsistence vs. Commercial • Young people are creating alternative spaces of economic participation (small scale mining/cross-border trading/hunting and poaching/and other ‘quick-return, high-risk’ activities in the areas without adequate agricultural support.

6. Twitter comment- “given the vagaries of climate change, agroecology, prices, markets and policy, spreading risk, smoothing income streams etc, for young people having a diverse portfolio of livelihood options is vital, especially when agriculture is so risky and uncertain.” • So how to make agriculture less ‘uncertain’ for youths?

7. OPPORTUNITIES FOR VALUE-CHAIN ENGAGEMENT BY YOUTH • The holistic approach to agriculture creates a wide range of opportunities in different fields: • Engineering (support and extension to primary producers etc) • Pharmaceuticals (veterinary support) • agro-chemicals (fertilisers, pesticides etc) • processing and marketing (packaging, selling etc) • infrastructure and irrigation dev. (transport and logistics etc)

8. OPPORTUNITIES FOR VALUE-CHAIN ENGAGEMENT BY YOUTH • ‘Green’ technologies (bio-diesels, alternative energy etc) • ICTs (social media, GIS, modern training techniques/support etc) • banking and finance (cooperatives, micro-lending, MPESA etc) • R & D (new innovations in all fields above etc) • By promoting greater sectoral linkages, value-chain development enhances job creation and agricultural modernisation in Zim/ Africa

9. Youth Champions are an example of a holistic approach to the agricultural value-chain 

10. RECOMMENDATIONS • Agricultural education must be modernised and prioritised • Contextualised policy prescriptions, rooted in evidence based research of the needs and requirements of young ‘agripreneurs’ are essential • Finding creative ways to make access to capital easier (with adequate training and support, youth not as financially risky) • Replication and reward of success stories • Modern ICT methods of business and information dissemination must be tapped into • Climate change awareness and adaptive farming techniques to ensure sustainability

11. Youth, our time is now. Thank you. Asante.Siyabonga.