Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. LANDS, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development minister Anxious Masuka has called on graduates from Gwebi Agricultural College to enter into joint ventures with landowners, saying their knowledge is their greatest asset in transforming Zimbabwe’s agricultural sector.
Speaking during the 73rd graduation ceremony at Gwebi Agricultural College on Friday last week, Masuka said the graduates should not wait to be allocated land but must use their expertise to form partnerships with those who already have it (land).
“Your entry point to business must not be a piece of land; it is a piece of the mind,” he said.
“If you have the knowledge and skill, you can partner someone who has land but is not using it productively.”
Masuka said such collaborations were already bearing fruit in provinces like Mashonaland West, where young farmers are cultivating large tracts of land through joint ventures.
This year’s graduation, themed Innovation Hubs and Promoting Entrepreneurship in Agriculture, saw 91 students complete their studies under the government’s Agricultural Education for Development 5.0 (AED 5.0) model, which focuses on creating entrepreneurs rather than job seekers.
Masuka said the model equipped graduates with five key tools of training — business advice, research, innovation, and entrepreneurship to help them to establish successful agribusinesses and contribute to the vision of having a middle-income economy by 2030.
Marian Chombo, Provincial Affairs and Devolution minister for Mashonaland West, hailed Gwebi as a “centre of excellence” in agricultural education, while college principal Reuben Muzenda described the graduates as “cogs in the agriculture accelerator model”.
Masuka also urged graduates to spearhead a “nutrition revolution” by promoting healthy traditional foods, which now make up 28% of Zimbabwe’s grain basket, as part of building true food sovereignty.
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