Moses Ziyambi
The Food and Agriculture Organization on June 11, 2024, hosted the Green Jobs for Rural Youth Employment (GJ4RYE) learning event in Harare.
Themed Youth in Agrifoods Systems – Green Skilling for Green Jobs was meant to share lessons and best practices emerging from the project which is funded by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).
The event was graced by many dignitaries including FAO representative Dr. Patrice Talla, Korean Ambassador to Zimbabwe Jae Kyung PARK; the Deputy FAO Representative in Eswatini, Lesotho and Zimbabwe, Louis Muhigirwa; the Deputy Minister of Youth Empowerment Development and Vocational Training, Honourable Kudakwashe Mupamhanga; and the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Prof. Obert Jiri.
In his keynote address, Mupumhanga Mupumhanga acknowledged the vital role played by KOICA and FAO in promoting youth investment in agriculture.
“The critical role of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in championing youth involvement in agriculture cannot be overstated.”
“Through your unwavering support and visionary initiatives, you have empowered our young people to become active agents of change, driving sustainable development in our rural communities,” said Mupamhanga.
He gave assurances of government commitment to continued cultivation of a future where young people actively contribute to national development.
Through funding from KOICA, FAO partnered government to implement the four-and-half-year-long GJ4RYE project which has provided training, grants, business mentorship support and wages to 288 rural youth beneficiaries in the districts of Chegutu, Chimanimani, Kariba, Kwekwe, Marondera and Mazowe.
Beneficiaries of the project received sector-specific training on sustainable poultry production, organic vermicomposting production, tree nurseries, post-harvest fish processing, and beehive making, and beekeeping.
The project also supported broader research and policy initiatives related to youth employment, climate resilience and the just transition.
