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Zimbabwe
Youth 'Agripreneurship' Summit (ZYAS) - Concept note and registration
guidelines
Zimbabwe Farmers Union (ZFU)
Summit
Dates: 10 - 12 December 2013
Registration
Deadline: 4 December 2013
Download registration
guidelines
- MS
Word version - (587KB)
- Acrobat
PDF version - (242KB)
If you do not have the free Acrobat reader
on your computer, download it from the Adobe website by clicking
here.
Theme:
Breaking The Barriers
Background
The Agripreneur
Youth Summit has been necessitated by high youth unemployment rates
and the continued deterioration of the nation’s food security
situation with an incredible number chronically food insecure. Zimbabwe’s
greatest asset is its young people, which constitute the majority
of the population and present an opportunity for the economy when
given the right support. Food security has increasingly occupied
the attention of the global community during the last decade with
successive summits making commitments to drastically reduce the
misery from which so many humans suffer throughout their lives.
Over the years,
the food security situation in Zimbabwe has continued to be an issue
of concern owing to various factors such as climate changes, access
to finance among others. Food security which is defined as a situation
that exists when all people, at all times, have physical, social
and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food which
meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and
healthy life seems to be far above the reach of the majority. What
has become worrisome is the rapidly increasing population which
will greatly compromise the national and furthermore household food
security.
In support to
the above the United Nations has predicated a global population
growth of approximately 2.5 billion by 2050 which poses an important
question of who is there to feed these people? This has become a
big challenge which requires innovative solutions, technologies
and consorted efforts from all stakeholders in supporting youths
to spearhead this scenario.
In view of the
above necessity is laid a plan to come up with a summit targeted
at yielding a youth-driven action plan focused on Agipreneur empowerment,
youth employment and food security in Zimbabwe through advocacy
and lobbying. The Agripreneurs Summit tackles unemployment, gender
equality, malnutrition and food insecurity with renewed vigor, in
the interests of youths who are partners, assets and a prerequisite
for sustainable development with a unique contribution to make to
the present and to the future of agriculture. We are convinced that
the nation’s greatest resource is its youthful population
and that through their active and full participation; the nation
can prosper and surmount the difficulties that lie ahead.
But what are
the challenges youth face? What do they need? And what can we do
as youths to overcome our own challenges?
Much of the
population growth by 2050 is expected to be among youths, who would
make up half of the population. Due to these demographic shifts,
youths will be extremely vulnerable to unemployment, poverty and
food insecurity. However, in order to effectively address the problem
of food security a shift is needed from viewing youth as a challenge,
to viewing youth as an asset for agricultural development in the
nation. Youths should be viewed as an integral part of the solution
to food security, unemployment and poverty.
The summit will
thrust on the point that, we have all it takes to defy the odds
and all theories put forward (e.g. Malthusian theory of population
growth and agriculture). But this is only possible when we as youths
are willing to uptake the challenge and take responsibility of our
future.
“Where
there is a will there is a way”.
Hunger, unemployment
and poverty in a nation of natural resource abundance is principally
a result of negligence as it lies within mankind’s capacity
to put in place the policies, institutions, businesses, technologies
and logistics both to prevent and eradicate all these challenges.
Currently there is limited research that looks at food security
through a youth lens, why not take this opportunity and show our
ability and skills as a way of giving back to the society? Youths
we are the custodians of our own development and the future of the
nation, let’s take action!
Realising that,
“the two most important energy sources are food and water,
not oil and gas. “, the Agripreneur summit calls upon youth
to engage into sustainable agriculture which is the manifestation
of evolution and the foundation to a food secure nation. Agriculture’s
stewardship role goes largely unseen by and unknown to the youth
and the public, except when it falls short.
Goals,
Objectives and Outcomes
The goal of
the summit is to generate and connect ideas aimed at progressing
agriculture in Zimbabwe with the next generation of Young people.
This is a step towards encouraging youth to be responsible of their
future and the community around them. The key objectives of the
summit are:
- To provide
an avenue for agriculturally focused youth from around the nation
to discuss the challenges of engaging in the agri-business sector
and to identify actionable agriculturally sustainable solutions
to food production;
- To provide
a platform to young people actively engaged in the agricultural
sector and with the thrive of succeeding as young entrepreneurs
to network with relevant stakeholders and other young people in
farming to build up social capital to mobilize resources and build
strong alliances;
- To share
success stories of young people in agriculture to motivate participants
to stay proactive and maintain a high degree of persistence to
succeed in the sector;
- To create
an atmosphere that fosters business networks and friendships;
- To motivate
youth by showing them available opportunities, e.g. jobs, investment,
business, in agriculture;
- To bring
young people together to support them in developing their own
action driven work plans to shape the development of their communities
and the empowerment of their peers;
- Securing
commitment from the government, development partners, private
sector players, civil society, youths in supporting youth driven
agripreneurship, employment and food security.
The
Program
The youth summit
will be held from the 10th to the 12th of December 2013. The Summit
will be based on mutual dialogue, the youth on one side and relevant
organisations and private sector players on the other side. Thus,
the programme includes open space items that allow the participants
to express their ideas and have a say on the topics that will be
discussed during the summit. Invited speakers can then also respond
to the youth interests expressed at the summit while addressing
their area of expertise. Speakers will be coming from the public
sector, private sector, agricultural markets, finance institutions
and development sector. The dialogue on day one will be a foundation
for the participants to think and develop action driven plans that
address issues that challenge them as youths on day two.
Other youths
not attending the summit should have an opportunity to follow the
summit proceedings and engage in parts of the program through global
connections and ICT.
By the end of
the summit, all delegates will be able to leave with a collective
vision, mandate and action plan for what they will do to change
agriculture, create employment in the future in their own operational
zones and represent the interests of other young people engaged
in agriculture in their areas by lobbying for their interests.
Exhibition
An exhibition
area will be set up for stands of various private sector players,
and partners to showcase their products and services. This will
provide a platform for youth to interface with various private sector
players and service providers.
Mentorship
Mentors will
be selected and the ratio will be 1 mentor to 10 youths. Mentors
will interact with groups during the Summit, giving advice, motivation
and support to the groups while discussing their topics of interest.
Established links between young agripreneurs and mentors will be
in place for even after the Summit. Young agripreneurs will know
where from to get information, support, advice and motivation while
mentors will have young people to whom to support and link to markets
and other relevant stakeholders to facilitate the development of
the youth entrepreneurship.
Participant
Criteria
- Must be
aged 18-35 at the time of the Zim-Youth Agripreneur Summit
- Be actively
engaged in the agricultural sector
- Have a passion
for agriculture, entrepreneurship, environmental stewardship,
food, security, farming and/or food processing and marketing
- Have an
interest to make a difference and be actively engaged in their
communities by representing and advocating for the interests of
young farmers/agripreneurs
- Be prepared
to draft an action plan to support other young people in agriculture
in their respective districts and/or communities
- Readiness
to cover transport costs to and from the venue
- Be motivated
and confident to work in agriculture and make their farming enterprise
a success
For more information
contact youngfarmersclubs@zfu.org.zw;
newtoncharig@gmail.com,
(0773568500) ana.crespo@giz.de
( 0774256578) or visit and message us on https://www.facebook.com/ZFUYoungFarmersClubs
Download registration
guidelines
- MS
Word version - (587KB)
- Acrobat
PDF version - (242KB)
If you do not have the free Acrobat reader
on your computer, download it from the Adobe website by clicking
here.
Please credit www.kubatana.net if you make use of material from this website.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License unless stated otherwise.
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