Africa-Press – Tanzania. More than 1,000 youths in Dar es Salaam, Coast and Morogoro regions have been equipped with agriculture and agribusiness skills which, apart from fighting hunger, have already started transforming their income generation activities positively.
Some of the skills garnered by the youths include being incubated by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) to adapt and use technology and farm nutritious food baskets like sweet potatoes, cassava and vegetables.
“Youths from three regions have also acted as a catalyst of change to others by spreading the knowledge gained and some groups have qualified to access municipal loans, which have improved their ability to engage in more farming,” said Ms Veronica Kebwe, IITA youth agribusiness coordinator.
Ms Kebwe, who speaking during the open day exhibition at Kibamba youth centre in Dar es salaam, IITA has also promoted facilitated youth’s access to seeds of improved variety crops like cassava, beans, potatoes which are in high demand in the market, where seeds may be spread to different places.
Such crops which are tolerant to disease, drought and other climatic conditions are vital for ending hunger and malnutrition, according to her.
Mr Otieno Elisha, a leader of the Kibamba Youth Group said that the support from IITA has surely demonstrated that agriculture was a paying business for youths to venture into.
He said that engaging in agriculture and agribusinesses, his group would subsequently be recognized by the Ubungo district government, which has now given his group a loan totalling to 30m/-
“Seven youths with different levels of education came together and formulated this group with the focus of getting rid of poverty.
The incubation by IITA has supported us to realize our dreams for we now own a demonstration farm, we are doing drip irrigation farming and selling seeds of different improved seeds varieties,” he said and called for other youths in the country to emulate the same.
For her part, Ms Happiness Mbele, the Head of Agriculture Department at Ubungo Municipality, called for youth from her district to consider urban farming which has numerous opportunities for them.
She said that there was no need for worrying for youths wishing to engage in Agriculture and agribusiness as the government was in the process of registering all farmers in the M-kilimo project so that they could be easily reached and recognized.
