By Hope Chimwala

Blantyre, December 18, Mana: SABABA Agriculture Foundation has appealed to women and youth to venture into commercial farming in order to improve their livelihoods.

SABABA Agriculture Foundation Programmes Director, Joseph Master, told Malawi News Agency (MANA) that the organization aims to empower 5,000 youths and women by providing them with agricultural knowledge, skills expertise and financial capital to ensure economic stability in the course of reducing unemployment rate.

“Most youths take agriculture as a dirty work despite acquiring agricultural knowledge in schools as some expect to work in offices instead of venturing into agri-business and create jobs for others,” he said.

Master observed that women are underrated on agricultural activities and mostly denied financial support.

He said this prompted the Foundation to incorporate and empower them to ensure food security and reduce over dependence of women on men for financial support.

“Once women have been given an opportunity and empowered, our food nutrition and security will be improved. As such, we pump in capital to those who do not have enough finances,” he said.

SABABA Agriculture Foundation is currently working with 55 youths and 15 women in Mzuzu. Apart from providing financial capital and agricultural expertise to women and youths, it will also be helping less privileged students with various food items such as cooking oil, maize flour and sugar, among others.

In a separate interview, District Youth Officer for Blantyre, Peter Mizedya, said empowering youths and women in agri-business is a sustainable important way and means of reducing poverty.

“Young people are not accommodated and supported financially when it comes to agricultural businesses. When such initiative reaches to them, they will not remain idle,” he said.

He explained that lack of finances limits the office from implementing initiatives that empower the youth in agri-business.

“We do not have support directly from the office to the young people, we only depend on partners that have the financial muscle to support them,” Mizedya said.

SABABA Agricultural Foundation, based in Mzuzu, was officially registered in November 2024 as an entity to economically empower youths and women to participate in the country’s socio-economic development.