By Maile Matsimela
The Free State Department of Agriculture and Rural Development will host the 1st Youth in Agriculture Provincial Summit on 27 and 28 March.
The event will take place at the City Hall in Bloemfontein under the theme “Addressing Challenges and Empowering Youth in Agriculture: Moving Towards An Integrated Approach to Enhanced Youth Participation in Sustainable Agricultural Production, Food Security and Economic Growth”.
The department said Summit 2025 is an outcome of the Youth in Agriculture District Dialogues, an initiative of Elzabe Rockman, the MEC for Agriculture, Rural Development and Environmental Affairs (DARDEA).
These dialogues took place from 9 to 28 September 2024 and convened under the theme: “An integrated Approach to Enhanced Youth Participation in Sustainable Agricultural Production, Food Security and Economic Growth”.
MEC Rockman managed to interact and engage with over 1 300 Youth in Agriculture from different districts during these dialogue sessions.
“The Summit aims to comprehensively address the most pressing challenges faced by the young farmers, offer a platform for young agricultural leaders to engage, provide solutions that empower youth to overcome barriers and actively contribute to the future of agriculture.
“It will also bring together agricultural students and graduates, agricultural entrepreneurs, government leaders and officials, agricultural experts, academics, farmers unions, private sectors, agricultural activists and other relevant stakeholders, to discuss the future of agriculture in the Free State and the role that young farmers can play in shaping it,” said the department in a statement.
According to the department the summit will offer a unique opportunity to empower the youth, unlock their potential as agricultural entrepreneurs, ensure the long-term sustainability of agriculture as a sector and an opportunity to contribute to provincial food security.
