Agriculture Reporter

Youths in Masvingo Province are taking farming to the next level, augmenting Government’s efforts in ensuring food security and employment creation.

Describing farming as profitable, Mushandike based young farmer, Brian Tsamwi, encouraged the young people to see farming as a business capable of alleviating poverty and transforming lives.

“I urge young people to venture into farming and start creating employment for themselves. Gone are the days where young people would rush to towns searching for employment. Our young people should know that farming is a business that can positively transform their livelihoods,” said Tsamwi.

The 25 year old Tsamwi bemoaned the unwillingness of most youths in the country to take up farming despite the venture being capable of putting one on the path of financial freedom.

According to Tsamwi, many young people usually showed no interest in farming due to the wrong assumption that the venture is unprofitable, adding that policies should be put in place to make agriculture more attractive to the youths.

“Many young people do not appreciate the significance of farming as a source of income. They see it as a difficult task which hardly yields profits. This is not true because farming, if don properly, has the potential to positively transform one’s life,” added Tsamwi.

Recounting his days as a beginner, Tsamwi indicated that like every other job, farming is not easy but through hard work and resilience, he is now doing well on a three hectare piece of land where he is growing cabbages, tomatoes, carrots and other horticultural crops.

Tsamwi managed to partner with other seasoned farmers to carry out a pilot horticulture project using solar powered borehole pump. He highlighted that due to climate change, Mushandike Dam is no longer consistency in supplying water to the irrigation scheme hence the had to look for alternative methods of irrigation.

He said that he also determined to make Masvingo a greenbelt which would supply other towns in and around that Province.

Tsamwi further said that successful farming operations are based on diligent planning and urged youths who are already pursuing farming to remain committed to the practice.

He also encouraged youths in farming to do more research and adopt new methods of practicing safe farming to boost yields and prevent post-harvest loss.