The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development cordially invites members of the media to the Provincial Youth Championships scheduled to take place on 15 to 16 July 2010 at Tsolo Agricultural and Rural Development Institute (TARDI).
The competition forms part of the Department’s endeavours to promote agriculture amongst youth. The youth show is one of the department's initiatives aimed at instilling the love and active participation by the youth in agricultural activities from the early ages.
The department, working with the Department of Education, introduced what is known as 4H clubs at schools where learners are taught and guided to plant vegetables in their school gardens for own consumption. The 4H programme promotes agriculture at schools as a career and a profession and improves the attitude of learners towards agriculture.
The programme has been continuing for many years and the learners showed great interest but since the focus was mainly on vegetables, it was felt that the livestock commodity should be introduced. The Youth Show Championships were introduced in the year 2000 where learners from eight to eighteen years are taught how to manage and handle animals and later participate in a competition.
The competition starts at local municipality level and the winners go to compete at district level and then at the provincial level before proceeding to national level. The panel of judges will be officials from both the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Department of Education.
The show has been doing well and is strong in creating the interest on animals to learners who have shown the love for the animals and are improving in their skills to handle the animals. Since the launch of the 4H programme the two departments has been working tirelessly to ensure that agriculture is taken seriously and it becomes a career of choice.
The Honourable MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development Mbulelo Sogoni and Honourable MEC for Education Mahlubandile Qwase are expected to be part of the delegates who will attend this august event.
Members of the media are invited to witness this groundbreaking youth development. The winners in this provincial leg will participate in the National Youth Show Championships scheduled to be held in the Mpumalanga province from 23 to 25 September 2010.
Details of the event:
Venue: Tsolo Agricultural and Rural Development Institute, Tsolo
Date: 15 to 16 July 2010
Time: 08h30
Enquiries:
Thozi Manyisana
Cell: 073 263 3754
For information please contact:
Yvonne Matsheketwa
Cell: 076 868 7257
