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Precious Manomano Herald Reporter
At least 700 youths from all the country’s provinces will next month benefit from land distribution programme spearheaded by the Government with the aim to empower the younger generation.
Under the Provincial Integrated Youths Skills Development Centres, the President directed each provincial minister to identify a 500-hectare piece of land which would be dedicated to youth projects as part of the Government’s policy to ensure youths participate in national programmes.
Speaking during a launch of solarisation program for Agricultural colleges held at Mazowe agricultural college the Ministry of Lands,Agriculture,Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Cde Davis Marapira said the ministry through the Agriculture and Food transformation strategy aim to create employment and more opportunities to school leavers.
“His Excellency, the President on the 7th of January this year launched provincial youth integrated skills development hubs where young people undergo an incubation period. President has done very well and l must thank him for this initiative so my ministry is ready to parcel out land to 700 youths who graduated from the provincial youths integrated programs this year.
“Government has also created a sub programme 2.3 entrepreneurship and enterprise development aimed at mainstreaming agricultural activities in the agricultural space,”he said.
Cde Marapira added that Government’s target of drilling of 35 000 boreholes by 2025 will enable farmers to create nutritional gardens and fish ponds so that they will generate income for themselves and earn a good living.
Recently, President described agriculture as one of the major pillars of the country’ economy, hence the Government’s thrust to empower youths who constitute 62 percent of the total population.
He also said provinces should start identifying pieces of land to establish agricultural incubation centres for the youths with a view of targeting 500 youths every year.
Food insecurity is a global threat which is affecting almost every nation. Zimbabwe has not been spared.
The global food crisis has been triggered mainly by prolonged droughts due to climate change, the Covid-19 pandemic and the on-going Russia-Ukraine conflict. Given that the threat of food crisis has ripple effects which among others include, health complications, food price hikes and instability, the Government should continuously implement projects that empower locals, in a bid to boost food productivity.
In efforts to empower the black majority and enhance agricultural production, in 2002, Government introduced the Land Reform Programme (LRP).
Although the LRP faced backlashes from the international community to the extent that the United States and other European Union countries imposed economic and political sanctions on the country, the Government continued with its land redistribution programme.
Thus, Government remained committed to assisting resettled farmers through several action plans to increase productivity. For instance, smallholder farmers under the Command Agriculture Programme had been receiving inputs and technical support to enhance productivity
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