Proceedings discussion No

Rabiah Zuze, Malawi

MY EXPERIENCE AS A YOUTH IN AGRICULTURE, MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS AND SUCCESS STORY

My name is Rabiah Zuze and I am from Malawi. I am very delighted to be amongst the youths invited to attend the conference on Youth Employment in Agriculture as a Solid Solution to ending hunger and Poverty in Africa: Engaging through Information and Communication Technologies and Entrepreneurship

The idea of engaging myself in agribusiness came in when I was in college, particularly during the time we were introduced to this other course called agricultural-economics. After a month of learning this course, i became motivated to engage myself into agriculture sector. I came to think that i can do something on my own as a business pertaining to my profession of which will also contribute to food security and nutrition in my country when I finish college. I thought of growing maize for sale as my first business venture because our staple food is nsima which is made from maize flour. However I was undecided about my decision because getting a job was my first priority followed by doing farming for commercial purpose implying that getting a job after college was my top most wish.

Nevertheless after completion of my bachelor’s degree in food security and nutrition, jobs were hard to find which was contrary to what I have always expected. With that situation I came back to the idea of growing maize for commercial purpose. However, I dropped the idea of maize production because there was too much competition at that time hence a lot of people were selling maize. However that did not stop my passion at all of becoming engaged in agribusiness .I was still thinking of other ideas pertaining to agriculture. After some months I still couldn’t find a permanent job. Therefore, to make ends meet, I borrowed some money from a friend which added to what I had been saving. The money was enough to start business of rearing hybrid (broiler) chickens. I started with 30 chickens only of which I sold after they reached maturity stage (six weeks). It was at that point when i realized that poultry farming would be the business for me to fulfill my desire of doing something on my own pertaining to my career. I was overwhelmed because I have always wanted to apply what I learnt in class into practice as one way of improving food security and nutrition in my community .Thereafter I reared 50 hybrid chickens but this time around it wasn’t easy because the feed for hybrid chickens became very expensive and I did not have enough money to feed the chickens as per recommended. Unluckily the chickens were also attacked of diseases so I struggled this time around hence I lost 15 chickens due to the attack.

Nevertheless giving up was not my option, despite those challenges I continued doing poultry farming as a business but then I switched to rearing local chickens. After weighing the options of raising hybrid chickens to local chickens I discovered that rearing local chickens was cheaper considering the following; Housing is cheaper, the feed is cheaper hence I use locally available materials to make them on my own, they don’t easily catch diseases, the selling price is much higher compared to hybrid chickens despite the fact that they take time to be fully grown for sale. To compensate the issue of late maturity, i rear improved local breeds that are fast reproducers and resistant to parasites and diseases which give me quick returns on the investment. Farming is really an effective business opportunity hence I have witnessed the goodness of that myself. I now have many customers and I am able to pay myself a salary and contribute to some of the family expenses. I have also used some of the profits from the poultry enterprise to start another business in hair products for women. I have also managed to employ one person who helps me to take care of the livestock together with my mother when I am not around and I look forward to employing more people as the business grows because I would want the business to keep going even if I get a job.

Food is one of the great universals in our lives and one of the things that brings us together. From my experience, surely livestock farming plays a major role as buffers and extenders and they act as protective measures in situations of unforeseen circumstances hence one can sell eggs or even the chickens from the farm for an immediate need. In this context one can buy food hence providing distinct advantages to improve nutrition and increase income from sales. And that makes poultry farming as an agricultural business one of the steps of providing a solid solution to ending poverty and hunger in Africa.

See the attachment

My Success Story-Rabiah Zuze.docx

Eugene Sindikubwabo, Rwanda

I am Eugene Sindikubwabo from Rwanda.

About my experience in Rwanda for youth.

Rwanda’s vision for agricultural transformation and development toward food security and attainment of per capita income of $1240 by year 2020 requires working with the youth as “the most energetic segment of the labour force”.

“Government and other partners should continually motivate and keep the youth in the driving seat in agriculture transformation. It is important to help the youth throughout the value chain. The youth also need to work with financial institutions to create more opportunities,” he noted.

Quoting a United Nations Environmental Programme 2015 survey, Africa has the largest population of young people in the world, with 226 million people aged 15 to 24 years old in need of sustainable employment.

“Each year, young people graduate from school seeking to enter the continent’s workforce, often with no success. The continent is facing a double employment crisis due to lack of jobs for the youth and an increase in the number of young people in need of work. Agriculture is the largest sector of employment where such youth have to exploit job opportunities and ensure food security,” he said.

Currently, agriculture contributes one third of the Rwanda’s total GDP while nearly 80 per cent of the population relies on the sector as the main economic activity.

“Considering that the agriculture sector meets 90 per cent of the national food needs and generates more than 70 per cent of the country’s export revenues, the youth should optimally be engaged and motivated in the whole value chain,” said Bucagu.

Figures show that youth in Rwanda constitute about 4.1 million, about 35 per cent of the total population. In urban settings, the youth are estimated at 25 per cent compared to 75 per cent in rural areas where agriculture is mostly undertaken.

“Rwandan government is making tremendous progress by establishing a youth-led umbrella for youthful organisations and individuals engaged in agribusines.

Question

1.c) In a country like Rwanda where telecommunication and internet is yet underdeveloped, how would you still make good use of the limited available resources?