Chronicle Editor
Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, [email protected]
TWENTY-year-old Ms Martha Sithole from Mangwe District scooped the young farmers’ award during the 66th edition of the Annual Matabeleland South Agricultural Show after an impressive display of farm produce at the recent show.
The young farmers’ category, which was introduced this year, seeks to promote involvement of young people in farming. Ms Sithole won a wheelbarrow and some farm inputs.
She was one of the top participants at the provincial expo held in Gwanda last week and displayed maize, groundnuts and some horticulture crops.
A member of the Intuthuko Yabatsha Youth Group, the young farmer grows some of her produce with group members and does some alone.
Ms Sithole comes from Empandeni area and grew up in a farming family, which motivated her to embrace farming as a career path.
“I’m glad that I was awarded for being the best young farmer because farming is my passion. When I was growing up, my parents used to take us to the field to work and they always emphasised that for one to eat, one has to work,” said Miss Sithole.
“They taught us that the land is the most valuable asset that one can have, where one can invest little but get huge returns.
“I’m among youths that are working in a community garden in our village. We were given a section to work from as youths. Our operations are a business enterprise as we produce so that we sell. I also have some produce that I grow on my own. We were trained as young farmers and this has helped to empower us,” she added.
Ms Sithole said farming has helped her to get income as she is unemployed and plans to pursue farming at a large scale.
She also desires to diversify into livestock farming and gain expertise in breeding small livestock. Ms Sithole urged fellow youths to embark on livelihood projects, which can give them direction in the future.
“As the youth, we have to work while we still can and while we have the strength. We have to utilise the development opportunities that are presented to us in various sectors,” she said.
“Even if we dropped out of school or even if we are unemployed we have to become productive as being idle only causes us to indulge in illicit activities such as drug and substance abuse,” she said.
Matabeleland South Agricultural Show Society president, Ms Sharon Dewa said the young farmers category seeks to ensure that the youth who are the future are actively involved in farming. She also said youths have to adopt climate-smart agriculture strategies and invent more strategies.
“We decided to introduce a category for young farmers because all along we have been seeing the elderly taking part in agricultural shows yet we have young farmers out there,” she said.
“We hope that this initiative will also motivate youths to be involved more in farming and we hope to see more youths exhibiting next year.”
This year’s show was officially opened by Vice President Chiwenga’s wife Colonel Miniyothabo Chiwenga. It was held under the theme: “Smart Interventions in Agribusiness: Our Top Priority”.
The awards ceremony also saw exhibitors under the commercial section receive certificates in 20 different categories. Farmers who excelled in the crop and livestock categories received prizes that included wheel barrows and farming inputs.
Crop and livestock farmers, Government departments, various ministries, parastatals, seed companies, Non-Governmental Organisations, uniformed forces and funeral parlours were among the exhibitors.
This year’s theme sought to promote the adoption of climate-smart measures by farmers to mitigate the effects of climate change. — @DubeMatutu
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