By Pempho Nkhoma

Blantyre, January 18, Mana: In a bid to promote agricultural innovation and entrepreneurship among young people, a youth-led organization under the banner of Big 2 Project has embarked on a book sale fundraising campaign to mobilize funds for the construction of an Agriculture Innovation Centre.

The book on sale is titled: ‘Agriculture Hundred Years From Now,’ which has discussed a range of topics from sustainable agricultural practices to environmental conservation.

In an interview with Malawi News Agency (Mana) on Saturday, Manager of Big 2 Project, Blessings Mlelemba said through the 650 books fundraising sale, they are targeting to raise about K50 to K100 million which will be used to construct the model centres across the country.

Mlelemba disclosed that the first of its kind will be in Lilongwe Rural specifically at Mitundu.

“These model centres will be established in all the districts where our organization operates. In all these centres, we will be equipping the youth with sustainable agriculture and climate smart knowledge,” he said.

Mlelemba added that the facilities will also be providing technical skills including tailoring especially for girls, carpentry and basics of interior designing.

“We will be training the youth in different farming activities like crop production, organic fertilizer production and basic agri-business skills like poultry farming especially organic poultry (birds), feed production and monetization,” he said.

He, therefore, called on all its partners to render the initiative the necessary support by buying the book, saying it can be used by extension field officers, agricultural organizations, cooperatives and everyone engaged in agriculture.

“The book is a masterpiece that can equip anyone with primary knowledge of sustainable farming amid climate change as it has discussed climate change impacts on food production and national economy plus means and strategies farmers can implement to mitigate and lessen the impact of climate change,” he said.

In a separate interview, field extension worker from Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Agnes Mpeketula Gama stressed the need for having agricultural innovation centres, noting that the facilities will benefit local farmers as well the nation in improving food productivity and attaining food security.

“The centre can provide access to new farming technology, research and expertise, enabling local farmers to adopt best practices and increase productivity; hence, improving their yields and quality,” she said.

Gama, said through training and mentorship, the programmes will encourage youth involvement in agriculture and entrepreneurship.

“The centre can facilitate connections to financial institutions, input suppliers and markets helping young farmers to overcome the barriers,” she added.

Big 2 Project is implementing other programmes of training young farmers in sustainable agricultural practices plus environmental conservation activities like tree planting competitions across the country.