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Daniel Chigunwe Herald Correspondent
Youths in Harare are embracing horticulture business with many small holder farmers emerging through peri-urban farming in a bid to create extra income generating activities as well as boosting household food security.
This is a case in the high density surburb of Budiriro and Glenary where youths are exploiting the Mukuvisi river to irrigate a range of crops which has formed a lucrative means of livelihood for many households.
Having formed a scheme, Tambawakaguta, the duo of Albert Mushore and Bruce Chiketero who are farming a one and half hectare in the peri urban of Budiriro said there is need for urban youths to consider the financial benefits of agro-business which is usually seen as a preserve of folks from the rural and farming areas.
” We have come to realize that in this modern day era, farming should be embraced by everyone especially making use of the vast available land so that we fight hunger and poverty among ourselves.
” Therefore, me and my friend we started a scheme called Tambawakaguta in which we are farming an assortment of crops mainly for commercial purposes so that we create extra pools of income,” said Mushore.
Working only with hoes and muttocks the two are boasting of nearly ripen crops including 3200 plants of potatoes, 3000 plants of tomatoes, okra, butternuts, cucumbers and green mealies which they are irrigating using a makeshift water-pump.
However, theft is a major setback as thieves now ply these fields stealing irrigation equipment like water pumps and pipes and in several instances harvesting the crops.
” We started our business from scratch using our own proceeds, that is after we converted a generator into a pump that we were using all along until it was recently stolen a situation which is affecting our operations now since many of our crops are now near harvest and needs proper quantities of water and we are in season where we have invested almost all our earnings in the project and have nothing in spare to buy a new pump” said Chiketero
” We are in the process of formalizing our scheme so that we are eligible in accessing funding from Youth Bank and Women Bank and even secure markets with reputable buyers so that we maximise value addition in our business,” added Mushore.
Besides being an income generating enterprise, farming presents opportunities to fight drug abuse and alcoholism which is on the increase especially among the ghetto youths.
” Our social motive is to display among the ghetto youths that the means of earning money is through sweat and respecting the dignity of labour to buttress our President’s mantra that Nyika Inovakwa Nevene Vayo – Ilizwe Lakhiwa Ngabanikazi Balo, that way we fight down social ills like drug abuse and alcoholism.”
Online Reporter