A fast track to employment and profit?

A fast track to employment and profit? CUE: When a country finds it has a high rate of unemployment among its young people, what can it do? Some governments offer free training, or subsidise credit for small businesses. Our next report comes from Zimbabwe, where some young people have benefited from the ?Fast Track? land resettlement programme. Sylvia Jiyane met two young men who received land under the programme, and are now trying to make a living from agriculture. She was keen to know whether simply giving young people a piece of land had enabled them to earn a living, or whether they needed more help to set up a successful farming business. IN: ?In the programme today ? OUT: ? I am Sylvia Jiyane.? DUR?N 3?14? BACK ANNOUNCEMENT: And Sylvia was reporting from Zimbabwe on the government?s ?Fast track? land resettlement programme. Transcript Jiyane In the programme today, I will be talking to two youths who are engaged in agricultural activities in Mashonaland West Province, North West of Harare in Zimbabwe. The youth were recently resettled under the government's fast track resettlement programme. Chitumbura My name is Japson Chitumbura. I was resettled here in Mapinga in October. Jiyane So what crops have you grown this year? Chitumbura This year I have grown quite a lot of crops, such as maize, groundnuts, beans, Soya-beans and so forth. Jiyane What other plans do you have? Chitumbura I need to keep chickens, if my crops are well. Jiyane Besides being resettled on this piece of land did you get any assistance from government? Chitumbura No assistance. Jiyane What assistance were you looking forward to? Chitumbura They have to help us because our crops are now becoming yellowish, because of shortage of fertilizer. Jiyane And now that you have got a piece of land and you are already working on that piece of land, would you encourage other youth like you to venture into agriculture? Chitumbura Yes I would like to encourage other youth to practice agriculture. Jiyane Now here is what another youth in agriculture had to say about his new vocation. Gawani My name is Patrick Gawani; I'm staying in Banket that's where I got my land from Government from the fast track. Jiyane What crops did you grow this season? Gawani Especially maize, groundnuts and paprika. Jiyane Looking at your crops, we?ve been going through the farm, there is quite a lot of green. At what condition exactly are they? Gawani Now we think it?s alright, because in the middle of this month rains had almost gone, but now I can see the crop, they are getting well. Jiyane Besides this piece of land did you get any form of assistance from either government or anywhere? Gawani You know the government only gave us these seeds, but now we are just waiting for them to assist us with fertilizer, again. Jiyane You seem to be doing very well, your crops look quite OK. Do you have any other projects in the pipeline that you would want to do in the next season besides just growing crops? Gawani We were planning to have the range of cattle, even chicken projects, so that we will not have to wait for only ploughing or doing farming. Jiyane The projects that you are mentioning require quite a lot of finance. How are you going to go about getting finance for those projects? Gawani We want the government to help us. Even the donors who can come and help us to have that money to start those projects. Jiyane I certainly hope that all other youths in other parts of the world, benefited from our discussion with the two youths in this programme. The prime lesson for youths is that white collar employment is not the only way to earn a living. Engaging in properly planned agricultural activities is a good vehicle of improving one?s life, especially in this critical time of economic stagnation, all over the world. Till we meet again in the next programme, I am Sylvia Jiyane. End of tape.The ?Fast Track? programme in Zimbabwe has redistributed land to landless people, in order to give them the opportunity to make a living from agriculture. This report features two young recipients of land, who describe the difficulties they have faced, and the potential they see for their future as farmers