The Second Republic under President Mnangagwa has been hailed for crafting policies that have enabled young farmers to make it big time in farming.
As a result young farmers have fast become the bedrock of farming in Zimbabwe and with the successful youth, the future of Zimbabwe's agriculture is guaranteed.
Over the past few years, young farmers have become involved in all aspects of farming from crop production to poultry and horticulture.
So, young farmers have registered significant milestones in farming after several empowerment initiatives by the Second Republic led by President Mnangagwa consistent with Government's economic blueprint the National Development Strategy.
The young farmers will be revelling in their achievements as the country commemorates the National Youth Day today.
The Agricultural Rural Development Authority, which itself is being led by a youthful chief executive, Mr Tinotenda Mhiko, has seen more than 10 000 benefiting from 1ha youths business units being initiated countrywide.
"I feel so honoured and privileged to be of service to my country as CEO of ARDA, itself the biggest agricultural enterprise in Zimbabwe.
"While our mandate is to ensure national food security, we are conscious of the deliberate and practical efforts of the Second Republic towards youth empowerment. The environment is very ripe and conducive for the youths to take their pride of place to participate in the national economic development.
"Demonstrably, since the inception of the Second Republic, there has been a marked exponential growth of youth participation in the whole agriculture value chain," said Mr Mhiko in an interview.
"Young farmers have been some of the biggest beneficiaries of the empowerment programmes that have been structured by the Second Republic. Key milestones that have been implemented through ARDA specifically for the youths are development of 1 hectare Youth Business Units across the country, which targets to establish in a whole of sector approach 4 800 youth business units by 2025.
"These are owned and managed by the youths under the revolutionary V30 Accelerator Model and production is market led. Upon full roll out the youth business units they will employ 9 600 youths since there will be one resident manager and one resident bookkeeper."
Tied to these programmes, said Mr Mhiko, there were other programmes that aimed at value addition primarily by the youths within the rural areas.
"These aim at preserving value by employing various post harvest techniques to produce and adding value through primary processing that promotes rural Industrialisation and subsequent rural development and employment creation.
"Other programmes that the youths have been participating on are the small holder irrigation schemes (the irrigation scheme business units) that are managed by ARDA under the V30 Accelerator model. This is a business model that ensures irrigation schemes are run sustainably and profitably.
"These are being registered and run as companies. The 460 irrigation scheme business units employ 900 youths, one resident manager & one bookkeeper on each," he said.
"We also have a joint venture programme that has seen thousands of youth farmers accessing inputs for maize and sorghum production as part of Government efforts to guarantee food security in light of the ensuing El Nino weather phenomenon, dovetailing with ARDA's mandate of guaranteeing national food security."
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ARDA would be working with several youths at school business units and village business units that would be soon rolled out with more than 140 000 youths recruited.
Farmers for Economic Development spokesperson, Ms Chioniso , said they were committed to ensure food security in the country.
"As an organisation, we will continue to meaningfully contribute to the attainment of an upper-middle-class economy by 2030, as we stand resolute in a gender and intergenerational approach to efficient and innovative use of our land.
"We are proud to have also drafted a rural industrialisation program as well as participating in the launch of the Belarus Farm Mechanisation Programme and the just ended Zimbabwe-Belarus Business Forum," she said.
