Africa-Press – Tanzania. DODOMA City Mayor, Prof Davis Mwamfupe has advised youth be innovative and use their talents in contributing to solving challenges facing the country, including those related to food security.
Prof Mwamfupe noted that the group has a huge potential to make great contribution if they embrace creativity, skills and knowledge. He gave the advice recently when opening youth forum to discuss food systems ahead of the Food System Summit, 2021 in Dodoma, saying solution-based innovations are key for a vibrant sector.
Prof Mwamfupe said guaranteed solution to food security systems is highly dependent on the creativity, innovation and participation of youth so that the agricultural sector becomes sustainable and create jobs for young people involved in the value chain.
Policy Advisor and Strategic Coordinator for Youth Participation in Agriculture from the Ministry of Agriculture, Mr Revelian Ngaiza said the government strategy involves empowering young people to start agribusiness and employ others to contribute more to the national economy.
“Through this forum the government wants the youth to come up with ideas to improve food systems that will contribute to growth of their economy and the nation through the agricultural sector,” stressed Ngaiza.
Speaking at the forum, a nutritionist from the Ministry of Agriculture, Ms Magret Natai, said Food Systems means a “collection of various activities involving food production, ranging from the producer (farmer and pastoralist) including central stakeholders, distributors, processors, exporters to consumers.” Nutritionist from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Stella Kimambo argued that there was a need to change the production and consumption of nutritious foods.
The Ministry of Agriculture has been tasked with coordinating and ensuring that all public and private sector stakeholders in the food system participate in discussions where the country’s proposals will be presented at a UN conference to be held in September in New York.
