{"id":33491,"date":"2021-01-25T23:11:26","date_gmt":"2021-01-25T21:11:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/?p=33491"},"modified":"2021-01-25T18:55:46","modified_gmt":"2021-01-25T16:55:46","slug":"young-agri-entrepreneur-shines-in-rural-zimbabwe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/young-agri-entrepreneur-shines-in-rural-zimbabwe","title":{"rendered":"Young Agri-Entrepreneur Shines In Rural Zimbabwe"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press<\/a> – Zimbabwe<\/a>. <\/strong><\/span>Xinhua<\/b> – While agriculture forms an integral part of Zimbabwe\u2019s economy, many young people still think of it as back-breaking labor that offers little economic benefit. However, things are slowly changing, a growing number of young people are starting to see agriculture as a viable career option.<\/p>\n

28-year-old Terence Maphosa is among a new generation of agri-entrepreneurs who are invigorating the agriculture sector with their innovative initiatives.<\/p>\n

A Political Science graduate from the University of Zimbabwe, Maphosa\u2019s dream was to land a white-collar job in the city after finishing college.<\/p>\n

A year and a half after graduating from college, circumstances pushed Maphosa to start breeding and selling indigenous chicken breeds popularly known as roadrunners at his rural home in Mhondoro-Ngezi, about 170 km from the capital Harare.<\/p>\n

Roadrunner is a colloquial name for a free-range exotic breed of chicken that scavenges for food. Their meat is tougher and is considered by many to be tastier than broilers.<\/p>\n

His breeds include the Black Australorp, Koekoek, Light Sussex, Kuroila and Jersey Giant.<\/p>\n

While many young people in Zimbabwe view agriculture as the domain for the less educated and consider rural to urban migration as the only ticket out of poverty, Maphosa has made a name for himself in the village.<\/p>\n

Apart from rearing exotic chicken, Maphosa is also involved in crop farming \u2014 but he focuses on corn, sunflowers, sorghum and soya crops as a means to reduce the costs of buying feeds.<\/p>\n

Indigenous chickens have gained popularity among Zimbabweans as they offer a healthier organic option and a business opportunity.<\/p>\n

Unlike broilers, the birds are cheaper to rear as they thrive on natural foods such as grains, worms and insects.<\/p>\n

Maphosa\u2019s success in agribusiness has caught the attention of many young people on social media where he regularly posts about his day-to-day life.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of youngsters are now appreciating farming, and slowly we are getting there,\u201d he told Xinhua.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe reason why our generation doesn\u2019t see farming as something lucrative is because of our background. When growing up, we were taught to go to school, to be doctors, to be nurses, to be lawyers, to be engineers, nobody pushed us to be farmers. So apparently, they did not push us to be practical, they pushed us to work those white-collar jobs,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Thanks to farmers such as Maphosa, a resurgence of interest among young farmers is happening, more and more young people are starting to see agriculture as a viable career path.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople are now showing the desire and hunger to go into farming, specifically in my field, the roadrunner business,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Maphosa said agriculture\u2019s image is changing, youth are now turning to farming and value addition of farm produce.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe way we are doing things, I wouldn\u2019t deny we are making farming look cool, like being proud of your surroundings, you influence the next person to say let me try this,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Through Maphosa\u2019s social media posts, young people at home and abroad are being motivated to venture into agribusiness.<\/p>\n

His Twitter account has gained a significant following, and his name has become a subject of discussion on Twitter.<\/p>\n

Maphosa\u2019s simple and authentic rural life, and his appreciation of traditional Zimbabwean food has also attracted the admiration of many.<\/p>\n

With more educated youth such as Maphosa joining farming, youngsters are beginning to view agriculture as an intellectually stimulating and economically sustainable career.<\/p>\n

Like most developing countries, agriculture remains the mainstay of Zimbabwe\u2019s economy. Attracting young people to rural agriculture is vital since nearly 60 percent of Zimbabwe\u2019s population lives in rural areas.<\/p>\n

In addition, agricultural activities provide employment and income for 60-70 percent of the Zimbabwe\u2019s population, supplies 60 percent of the raw materials required by the industrial sector and contributes 40 percent of Zimbabwe\u2019s total export earnings, according to the Food and Agricultural Organization.<\/p>\n

Agriculture also contributes approximately 17 percent of the country\u2019s gross domestic product.<\/p>\n

With people below the age of 35 constituting more than 50 percent of the country\u2019s population, and given the country\u2019s high youth unemployment rate, the agricultural sector offers huge potential for job creation.<\/p>\n

The Zimbabwean government has over the years taken various initiatives to support youth in agriculture.<\/p>\n

Government sees the inclusion of the youth, in the agricultural sector as key in its efforts to plug the country\u2019s food supply gap and to achieve food security at both household and national level.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. Xinhua – While agriculture forms an integral part of Zimbabwe\u2019s economy, many young people still think of it as back-breaking labor that offers little economic benefit. However, things are slowly changing, a growing number of young people are starting to see agriculture as a viable career option. 28-year-old Terence Maphosa is among […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":33490,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,6,35,15],"tags":[1493,2189,19],"class_list":["post-33491","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-economy","category-homepage-english","category-twitter","tag-africa-press","tag-africa-press-zimbabwe-2","tag-zimbabwe"],"yoast_head":"\nYoung Agri-Entrepreneur Shines In Rural Zimbabwe - zimbabwe<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Xinhua - While agriculture forms an integral part of Zimbabwe\u2019s economy, many young people still think of it as b ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/young-agri-entrepreneur-shines-in-rural-zimbabwe\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Young Agri-Entrepreneur Shines In Rural Zimbabwe\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Xinhua - 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