Manicaland youths urged to adopt organic farming to improve livelihoods

By Elizabeth Kucherera 

Organic way of farming is one way people living below the poverty data line can improve their livelihoods, an environmental officer for Manica Youth Assembly has said.

While addressing community farmers, Mutare urban youths and media houses on a two-day training workshop for community behavior change agents held in Mutare, Maya environment officer Mrs Samantha Mudadisi  spoke out against conventional foods, and the use of expensive fertilizers for community farmers.

Green Governance (GGZT), in partnership with National Association of Youth Organization (NAYO) and Manica Youth Assembly (MAYA) with support from Hivos are the organizations that are supporting these youth through the urban future project.

These are non-profit, non- partisan and solution-centred organizations.

“Young people should be involved in the indigenous food system to improve diet, health and also culture preservation,” said Mrs Mudadisi.

Zimbabwe, which is in Africa has rich norms and values to preserve cultural foods, which Mrs Mudadisi was urging youths to abide by.

Tinashe Muzama, MAYA programs officer emphasized on the importance of the workshop, saying its a bid to promote positive health and nutrition behavior.

“Youths should adopt community farming in their backyards to supplement their diets.

“Most families have reduced their meals from three per day to just one meal per day due to the harsh economic environment we live in. But backyard farming will definitely help mainly youths in this harsh economy,” said Mr Muzama.

One of the community farmers at the workshop  told this publication the challenges they are facing in Mutare and their aspirations.

“We are calling for our city fathers to prioritize food waste management and strengthen urban agriculture for us to supplement our diets,” she said.