Kamukwape's Diary

 Young people are inspired to engage in agriculture when they listen to success stories about fellow young farmers. For many, making a decision to engage in agriculture comes as a result of change of perception and building a positive attitude towards the practice. A television programme on ZNBC TV1 on 18th May, 2017, presented a success story for young farmers, which was obviously meant to inspire young people to take up farming. However, my observation is that the development of the story might have not achieved it’s intended purpose due to various reasons. I have discussed my opinions in brief. Selecting appropriate role models Young farmer Success Stories have more impact when they are developed with the focus on how an ordinary youth get inspired, learn about how to get started and understand the process, and grow from basic production to commercial levels. This entails crafting the success story in form of a brand that is gradually built. It should be a process of...

A sunny, hot Sunday it has been! After a few movements to prepare for the week, I head home, grab a glass of water, pull out my Laptop and try to make myself comfortable. As I lay my hands on the keyboard, I quickly browse through my files, looking for some sounds to up my spirits. There we go, it is Marky II featuring Exile, with one of those ‘workaholic mood’ beats; Nangu bancinge. Nangu bancinge, talks about a determined person ready to defeat all setbacks until they get to a successful end. The track narrates, in brief, the perseverance sustained and things achieved as source of motivation. Booooom! I am energized, ready for the week ahead. Various ‘ pronouncements’  have been made by stakeholders to  raise hopes  about how they wish to see the youth engaged in agriculture.  Most Job creation policies seem to have put agriculture at the centre of sectors which have been targeted to create jobs for the youth and women in Zambia. Last week, I spen...

The Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA), in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources (MINAGRI) and other key partners is organising the International ICT4Ag conference in Kigali, Rwanda, from 4-8 November 2013.  During the conference, a youth session on "Capacity Development, Youth, and ICTs In Agriculture" will take place on 5th November.   Session 10: Capacity Development, Youth, and ICTs In Agriculture  [Time:] Nov 5, 2013  [Location:] Room: Bulera  [Duration:] 13:30 - 15:00 Agriculture does not only need youth to replace the old farmer but also to bring innovations that modernise the sector and strengthen it, so that youths also benefit from it. The application of new ICTs in agriculture particularly confirms that assertion. This session will be led by a panel of four dynamic young professionals from Africa and Latin America who have launched or are involved in key initiatives in transforming the...

Realizing that about 55 percent of Zambia's total population and 70 percent of the poor live in rural areas, and that the majority of households rely on incomes from agriculture and agriculture related industries, growth in agriculture is expected to generate jobs and create employment opportunities for the poor. With reforms which started in the early 1990's that emphasized on diversification of the economy through promotion of agriculture development, liberalization of marketing and encouragement of private sector participation resulted in some improvements in the sector. Therefore, fostering agricultural growth and rural development is recognized as important in reducing poverty in the country. In line with these efforts various strategies have been put in place to strengthen the efforts in realising the goal of the agricultural sector being "To promote increased and sustainable agricultural productivity and competitiveness in order to ensure food security; Income gener...