By ALICE NACHILEMBE
World Youth and Leadership Foundation in Southern Province has called for more youths participation in farming in order to boost the agriculture sector in the province.
WYLF Southern Coordinator Chileshe Chewe said that this year’s farmers day is a reminder to young people who are facing employment challenges to switch their mindset and take advantage of the fertile land in the nation and venture into agriculture.
Mr Chewe said the organization want to see many youths participating in farming because this will help them to become productive and supplement governments’ effort in boosting the agriculture sector.
He said that agriculture has the potential to help youths participate in employment creation because agriculture in Zambia has been a source of employment for so many years.
“Agriculture has been a source of wealth in southern province and it has also helped the nation to grow economically this is why we as WYLF we believe that we can support the economic growth of our nation once all the youths participate in agriculture,” he said
Mr Chewe said Leadership and Entrepreneurship programs have continued to support youths with capacity building to help them with skills that will promote a profitable agriculture.
He said the foundation is also preparing to launch a 365 days agriculture project which will empower and create about 10,000 jobs countrywide by the year 2024.
Mr Chewe has called on the Government and the international community to take advantage of the organization’s entrepreneurship program which has the potential to make youths realize that agriculture and entrepreneurship is the easiest way to fight against youth unemployment and create wealth.
He said that in doing so it will help youths to be key players in the development of the nation because the partnership with government will assist many youths to have access to farming inputs and resources which has been a common challenge affecting young people’s involvement in agriculture.
This is contained in a statement issued by WYLF Director Communication Monitoring and Evaluation Valentina Daka.