“THE STATE OF YOUTH AGRIPRENEURSHIP IN ZIMBABWE1”Raymond Erick Zvavanyange(zvavanyanger3@gmail.com )

1. Background Farming must become more attractive and profitable for all who are

involved in the different value chains, but particularly also for the hundreds of millions of small scale farmers and small to medium-size entrepreneurs in the developing world (UNSDSN, 2013).

In Africa the population is predominantly an agrarian and rural one (70-80 percent), and over 85 percent of the rural dwellers can be classified as poor (earning less than US$ 370 annual income per capita) (Kruijssen, 2009).

“About 65% of the total population of Africa is below the age of 35 years, and over 35% is between the ages of 15 and 35 years - making Africa the most youthful continent. By 2020, it is projected that out of 4 people in the African continent, 3 will be on average 20 years old. About 10 million young Africans arrive each year on the labour market”. [FAO Nature and Faune, Volume 28, Issue 1 (2013) http://www.fao.org/docrep/019/as290e/as290e.pdf ]

Sub-Saharan Africa (south of the Sahara desert) has the world’s youngest population and is home to over 200 million young people. Two out of three inhabitants are under 25 years of age and 44% of its population is under the age of 15. 70% of the youth resides in rural areas and employed African youth work primarily in the agricultural sector, where they account for 65% of the workforce. Young African men and women are critical to the development of agriculture in Africa and for efforts to ensure food security. They are the future farmers, future policy makers, future leaders, future researchers and future drivers of Africa’s social and economic development!

2. Taxonomy: Agripreneurship is an embodiment of distinct functions in the market (Mises, 1996); these distinct functions include the recombination of resources in ways that create new value and offers new competitive advantage (Schumpeter, 1950). Thus, the necessary conditions for agripreneurship were derived by Amanor-Boadu (2006) to be innovation and purposeful action. Innovations may be defined as opportunities with uncertain outcomes because they are unique, single cases, and not members of a class. An agripreneur likes to take calculated risks (although he/she takes risks, the risks are carefully quantified and compared to potential rewards) and assumes responsibility for both profits and losses. - See more at: http://motresource.com/agripreneurship/#sthash.UYSTTwWh.dpuf

1 Background Paper for IMPACT Radio Show on ZiFM with Mr. Zororo Makamba, May 12th, 2014, Harare, Zimbabwe < www.zifmstereo.co.zw>

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Purposeful action, on the other hand, may be defined as the employment of means (strategies and human and material resources) for the attainment of specific ends. It is objective–driven, has a clear purpose, and involves well–defined strategies and the execution procedures to achieve desired outcomes. An agripreneur is passionate about growing his business and is constantly looking for new opportunities - See more at: http://motresource.com/agripreneurship/#sthash.UYSTTwWh.dpuf

Green economy: The green economy is the clean energy economy, consisting primarily of four sectors: renewable energy (e.g. for solar, wind, geothermal); green building and energy efficient technology; energy-efficient infrastructure and transportation; and recycling and waste-to-energy, cited in (Chapple, 2008).

Sustainable development: According to the World Commission on Environment and Development, “sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present, without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”Youth:

Entity/Instrument/Organization Age

UN Secretariat/UNESCO/ILO Youth: 15 to24

UN Habitat (Youth Fund) Youth: 15 to 32

UNICEF/WHO/UNFPA Adolescent: 10 to 19Young people: 10 to 24

Youth: 15 to 24

UNICEF/ The Convention on Rights of the Child

Child under 18

The African Youth Charter Youth: 15 to 35

Zimbabwe: Ministry of Health and Child Welfare, the Zimbabwe National Family Planning Council the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency and the National Population Policy

Youth: 10 to 24

Zimbabwe: Ministry of Youth Development, Indigenization and Empowerment

Youth: 10 to 35

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3. Tell us about the Zimbabwe Youth Agripreneurship Summit, December 10th-12th, 2013 Summit you attended. What did you take from it? < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZ-bMzXClmE >

Mobilisation of youth is important in Agripreneurship. A coordinated approach will include everyone on board (Government/ZFU /YPARD/Mercy Corps played their part to mobilise young people within structures.)

Modern thinking and approaches - Youth very much engaged in agricultural activities

Tailored messages to different audiences especially with regard to knowledge and skills we champion (the youth spectrum includes: indigenous people, scientists, researchers, practitioners, knowledge brokers, facilitators, business people, etc)

Mindset change critical e.g. the YPARD Zimbabwe Promo Video< https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHGGU4pPvu0 >

4. What resources are available to assist young farmers financially?

Local authorities such as Ministry of Youth, Zimbabwe Youth Council, CABS, CBZ, for example.

Radical investments (challenge projects, group assignments, and competitive grants)

Leverage your knowledge and skills Community and network resources (shifting away from monetary

values to professional enrichment and exposure)

5. Are there policies in place that cater for young farmers? Once capital has been raised, what about sustainability?

The key to sustainability is transparency, good reporting, discipline, and focus.

Compliance with statutory instruments and policies International frameworks and best practices (success stories, hubs,

incubators, social entrepreneurship, etc) to guide young farmers. Key reference documents such as Draft African Union Agenda 2063,

CTA Youth Strategy, UNDP Youth Strategy, WWF Youth Strategy, African Union Charter on Youth, National Youth Policy, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Nature and Faune Magazine Volume 28, Issue 1 (2013) – African Youth in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Rural Development, etc

6. Are our agricultural schools modern, are they outdated? If they are really important-what can be done to make them relevant? Are skills you learnt there transferable to what you are doing now?

One can argue that the labour market dictates changes needed in the agricultural education and training or vice versa. This is closely related to public policy.

Curriculum change (team projects and practical subjects) Mindset change

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Teaching modes (interactive, friendly, cognitive, etc) African Chapter of the Global Forum in Agricultural Research Global

Foresight Academy <http://www.ypard.net/testimonials/engaging-youth-foresight-activities-global-foresight-academy-african-chapter >

UniBRAIN (Universities, Business and Research in Agricultural Innovation) <http://www.fara-africa.org/our-projects/unibrain/ >

7. How do young people address the issues of food security? Food security is access by all people, at all times to sufficient food for an active and healthy life and includes at a minimum the ready availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods and an assured ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways (Food and Agriculture Organization, 1997; Sarah, 2003)The Rural Livelihood Assessment report (July 2011) showed that the food security situation in Zimbabwe is improving. There was a reduction in the proportion of the population that is food insecure from 17.8% (1 497 000 people) in 2009/10 to 11.9% (1 026 000 people) in 2011/12. Of the surveyed households, 60% had a nutritionally balanced diet, while 40% had either a “just adequate diet” or a poor diet. The Ministry of Agriculture, Mechanization and Irrigation Development has eight departments and several parastatals. Its mission is “To achieve and sustain high agricultural productivity and production, market access, incomes, and food and nutrition security”. The Ministry mandate covers the following areas:

1) Crop and Livestock Productivity, Production and Diversification2) Agricultural Mechanization and Irrigation Development3) Market Access4) Coordination of the Agricultural Sector5) Policy, Legal and Regulatory Framework6) Institutional Capacity

The Fit-for-Life Projects currently being implemented led by the Zimbabwe Farmers Union

Adaptability, foresight, and transparency in farm enterprises Knowledge-based economy (support emerging researchers,

agripreneurs, practitioners, and scientists)

8. What are the challenges youth /young farmers face? Many

9. What do we need to help the youths in Agripreneurship? Good quality education and training Community business solutions (EcoFarmer, eMkambo, Charles

Dhewa, Chief Rain Maker of the Knowledge Transfer Africa, Start Up Weekend, Training Courses, etc

Independence - become a thought leader in your field 4

Recognize talent and excellence locally (objective reward system) Invest in professional relationships (networking) Moral character – personality, relentless determination,

perseverance, and a mastermind (embrace failure)

10. SWOT ANALYSIS FOR AGRICULTURE IN ZIMBABWE WITH A FOCUS ON YOUTHS

Context:

Strengths: Public entities such as the

Ministry of Youth Development, Indigenization and Empowerment and Zimbabwe Youth Council

Private and non-governmental organizations (e.g. Zimbabwe Farmers Union) who embrace the important role of youth in national development

An updated Zimbabwe National Youth Policy

Knowledge and skills is a window of opportunity in Zimbabwe

Youth have a voice in national issues

Research, education, and extension institutions

Skills training and vocational / Agriculture colleges

Weaknesses: Agricultural science and

education is limited in early primary and high school levels

Frequent conflicts of interests in agricultural development e.g. agricultural land versus mining claims

Negative image and perceptions about agriculture as a career path

Youths in Zimbabwe have a very limited impact on policy formulation of agriculture in the country (Nyoni, 2012).

No vibrant youth structure Access to land by female

youth Access to finance especially

capital to start projects Improvement of

mechanization, irrigation and farm implements

Information skills, capital barriers towards achieving smallholders agriculture

Markets and training Shortage of Agro specialist

and financial advisors

Opportunities: Mentoring and capacity

building e.g. the Social Entrepreneurship Academy Concept, Green Jobs, etc

Threats Agriculture is a long-term

investment with no quick returns for enterprises such as livestock farming

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Emerging local and international youth networks such as Young Professionals for Agricultural Development (YPARD), Zimbabwe Farmers Union Young Farmers Clubs, etc

Use of ICT in Agriculture including developing of applications that facilitate farmer-market interactions, Ecofarmer, etc

Taking farming as a business Frameworks for development

e.g. Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Empowerment, Zimbabwe National Youth Policy, Africa Union Charter on Youths, Pan African Youth Strategy on Learning for Sustainability, etc

Youth credit schemes from financial institutions e.g. CABS, CBZ, Ministry of Youth

Start-up weekends very popular with young people, can use this as a conduit for agriculture messages

An inventory of successful pilot projects and best practices in agriculture

Creation of institutional structures to dictate the pace of theory and practice in emerging issues – sustainable development goals

Persistent dry spells in Zimbabwe

Access to land and tenure systems in Zimbabwe

Timely early warning systems Improper coordination and

evaluation of the effectiveness of programs targeted at the youths

There is need to tailor agricultural and youth policies to be more specific to societal concerns (Nyoni, 2012),

Government needs to find creative ways to remove impediments to access to finance and inputs, perhaps through public-private partnerships (Nyoni, 2012)

11. Resource Websites: Local Zimbabwe Youth Council < http://www.zimbabweyouthcouncil.org >Afrikan Development Perspectives: The Barefoot Website < http://barefootagri.blogspot.com/>

12. Resource Websites: International African Farmer < http://www.africanfarmergame.org/ > African Technology Policy Studies Network

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< http://www.atpsnet.org/about/index.php >New Economic Partnership for Africa Development (NEPAD) < http://www.nepad.org/ > Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa< http://www.fara-africa.org > CTA Youth Strategy, 2013-2017 <http://www.cta.int/en/article/2014-04-10/ctars-youth-strategy-2013-n-2017.html> Southern Africa Development Community (SADC)< http://www.sadc.int >Young Professionals for Agricultural Development (YPARD) < http://www.ypard.net > World Bank Young Professionals Program<http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/EXTJOBSNEW/0,,contentMDK:23149336~menuPK:8453554~pagePK:8453902~piPK:8453359~theSitePK:8453353,00.html >African Development Bank Young Professionals Program < http://www.afdb.org/en/careers/young-professionals-program-ypp/ > Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network Youth in Agriculture< http://www.fanrpan.org/projects/youth-in-agriculture/ > World Wide Fund for Nature Pan African Youth Strategy on Learning for Sustainability <http://wwf.panda.org/who_we_are/wwf_offices/tanzania/?212519/Learning-for-Sustainability---Launch-of-PanAfrican-Youth-Strategy >U.S. Department of State < https://conx.state.gov/media/>

13. References

Chari, N. 2013. Zimbabwe Youth Agripreneurship Summit Report. Breaking the Barriers, Proceedings for the Summit held from 10th to 12th December 2013 at Harare Institute of Technology. GIZ/ZFUMinistry of Agriculture, Mechanization and Irrigation Development, Strategic Plan, 2012-2015 Nyoni, T. 2012. Zimbabwe Country Case Study Draft Report. Current and Emerging Youth Policies and Initiatives with a Special Focus on Link to Agriculture, April 2012. Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network, Pretoria, South Africa UNDP (2014) Youth Strategy: Empowered Youth, Sustainable Future & Ministry of Youth Development, Indigenization and Empowerment

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