Leaving no one behind/ nurturing the future – SIRP’s quest to empower rural youths in Zimbabwe
Leaving no one behind/ nurturing the future – SIRP’s quest to empower rural youths in Zimbabwe We were parked under the huge Mopane tree near the agricultural extension office at Tshovani Irrigation Scheme. A few goats huddled under an acacia tree to seek shade from the harsh February sun. As we waited patiently, we heard the rumble of an engine before a green and white motor cycle and rider emerged from the curve on the road to the recently rehabilitated scheme. The rider stopped his motorbike a few metres from us, removed his helmet to reveal a young face, perhaps in his late twenties. As he disembarked from his motorcycle and started walking towards us, he cracked a wide smile. His name was Brian Garwe, a new type of youth in the rural areas. Garwe is a farmer, one of the 126 farmers at the recently rehabilitated 360 hectare Tshovani Irrigation Scheme in Chiredzi District of Masvingo Province in Zimbabwe. What sets him apart from the other farmers in the...