More than two hundred young farmers attending the Provincial Youth Development Symposium maintain that as a food basket of the country, the North West Province’s landmark must be agriculture. This was emphasised during the first day of the symposium held at Mmabatho Convention Centre, which was organised by the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in collaboration with Black African Young Farmers (BAYOFA), Youth in Agriculture and Rural Development (YARD) as well as the North West University (Mahikeng campus.
The NW Premier, Thandi Modise who addressed the symposium, challenged young farmers to reclaim their space in the agriculture sector, saying they must open their horizon and dream big about agriculture.
“You must know that when you are in this sector, you are in a scientific world, and must therefore take the lead in agricultural research and production. Never be afraid to be adventurous,” insisted Modise.
Young farmers expressed their willingness to innovate and take agriculture to the next level, by committing themselves to looking at diversified farming.
“It is the youth’s target to portray agriculture as a firm base for economic development, and through this symposium, the potential benefits of youth entrepreneurship would be stimulated,” said BAYOFA Chief Executive Officer Mr Poiho Ramotlatsi.
Representatives from agriculture institutions such as Productivity SA, NewStart Eco-Garden, Industrial Development Corporation and commercial banks, shared information with the youth about productivity trends in the agricultural sector, the organic way of production and how to access funding for their projects.
The objectives of this three day symposium are amongst others, to showcase the agricultural potential, to promote the importance of agricultural entrepreneurship among the youth, examine the importance of self-employment, assess the current status of youth-run enterprises and identify challenges faced by the youth entrepreneurs.
Outlining the department’s expectation about the symposium, the MEC for Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Desbo Mohono, said the youth must come up with legacy youth development projects, as some of the tangible outcomes of this symposium.
The theme for this symposium is “Fostering the next generation of Agriculturalists for sustainable development”.
