Young people must farm to sustain themselves

Mr Kenny Ravhuanzwo, an emerging farmer from Madimbo village, strongly believes that young people should start to produce their own food to counter the high cost of living and massive food price hikes South Africans now experience daily.

Limpopo Mirror caught up with Ravhuanzwo at his farm while he was busy training 30 local youths on mixed farming systems. He is working with the Health and Welfare Sector and Training Authority (HWSETA) to implement this programme in the deep rural Madimbo village, situated about 100km east of Musina. The programme started on 1 July and ends on 31 July.

Ravhuanzwo said that, if South Africa wanted to defeat the scourge of hunger and starvation, a lot of resources would have to be invested in young people, so that they could venture into agricultural projects. “With this high rate of unemployment in our country, it is clear that many families cannot afford to buy basic food like fruits, vegetables and meat. If we can get more young people involved in agriculture, we will be able to produce more food and thereby win the war against poverty. Besides feeding their families, young people will also be able to create their own jobs through agriculture,” he said.

Ravhuanzwo, who is an accredited skills-development provider, said after the training, his students should be able to actively participate in the primary agricultural sector through the production of quality agricultural products, enhancing the overall agricultural process, and gaining opportunities to access local, national and international agricultural markets.

He was happy to see the increase in the number of young people willing to devote their time to the programme. “This clearly shows that young people love farming, but are handicapped by the lack of support and resources. In only the few days that we have been together, these young people are already able to plant and take care of vegetables on their own, manage the poultry and take care of fruit trees on their own. They can apply sustainable farming practices to conserve the ecological environment while, at the same time, controlling pests, diseases and weeds on all crops effectively and responsibly. I have no doubt that when they leave here, they will be able to start their own farming projects and contribute to the local economy,” he said.

Walter Rambuda (23) is one of the aspirant young farmers who is taking part in the programme. “The programme is very helpful because I can now grow vegetables and take care of poultry on my own. I can also understand the basic layout of financial statements, basic soil fertility and plant nutrition, and administer livestock processing treatments. I’m looking forward to my graduation, so that I can start my own farming enterprise,” he said.

Date:24 July 2022

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