FAO and Zimbabwe Launch Landmark Youth Project to Transform Agrifood Systems

In a major boost to youth empowerment and sustainable agriculture, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in collaboration with the Government of Zimbabwe, has launched a technical cooperation programme to enhance the country’s capacity to support youth engagement in agrifood systems. This bold initiative aims to transform Zimbabwe’s agricultural landscape by placing young people at the center of policy reform, institutional development, and leadership training.

A New Chapter in Youth-Centered Agricultural Development

The newly launched programme builds upon the FAO’s previous successes in Zimbabwe, including the acclaimed Green Jobs for Rural Youth Employment initiative. With the continent facing an urgent need to create 10 to 12 million new jobs annually, FAO has identified agrifood systems as a promising sector for unlocking massive youth employment potential. This latest partnership aims to bridge the gaps in knowledge, skills, and policy frameworks that have historically sidelined youth from playing transformative roles in the agricultural value chain.

“This project is set to inform and shape future priorities for collaboration between the Government of Zimbabwe and FAO on youth-related matters,” said Patrice Talla, FAO Subregional Coordinator for Southern Africa and Representative to Zimbabwe.

By leveraging FAO’s Investment Guidelines for Youth in Agrifood Systems, the programme promotes an inclusive and intersectional approach to youth engagement, recognizing young people as diverse agents of change with different capacities and aspirations. The project seeks to engage public institutions, private sector actors, and civil society to create enabling environments that foster innovation, enterprise, and leadership among young Zimbabweans.

Strategic Timing: Supporting AFSRTS 2.0 Rollout

This initiative arrives at a pivotal moment as Zimbabwe begins operationalising the second phase of the Agriculture and Food Systems and Rural Transformation Strategy (AFSRTS 2.0). A key feature of this phase is mainstreaming youth inclusion as a foundational pillar, not merely an afterthought.

“Mainstreaming youth is not an optional add-on; it is the fundamental strategy for achieving resilient, productive, and transformed agrifood systems and rural communities,” stated Jairos Mandizadza, Director of Gender Mainstreaming, Inclusivity and Wellness in the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development.

To this end, the government has committed to prioritizing budget allocations, enacting supportive policies, and ensuring inter-ministerial coordination to institutionalize youth inclusion at every level of agrifood planning and implementation.

Consultative and Participatory Process

The project is designed around a broad-based, participatory approach, beginning with the formulation of a comprehensive national strategy that integrates youth voices across the agrifood spectrum. A mix of stakeholder consultations, strategic planning meetings, and evidence-based desk reviews will inform the development of:

• A Youth-Inclusive Agrifood Systems Strategy

• A National Youth Investment Plan tailored for the agrifood sector

This approach ensures that the initiative is grounded in Zimbabwe’s realities, while also drawing on regional and international frameworks to align with best practices and global policy trends.

During the inception meeting, stakeholders—including youth representatives—engaged in breakout sessions to review the current draft of AFSRTS 2.0. The sessions offered a platform to refine its pillars to reflect stronger youth perspectives, reinforcing the programme’s bottom-up, participatory ethos.

Youth Voices Take the Lead

Zimbabwean youth are already embracing the project with enthusiasm and hope. Speaking during the launch, Getrude Chambati, Secretary of the World Food Forum Zimbabwe Chapter, captured the sentiments of many young participants:

“With this project we are energised, motivated. By being heard, valued, seen and, more importantly, included, we are no longer participants but change makers. This proves that there is nothing for us which can be done without us.”

Such testimonies underline the empowerment shift that the FAO and Zimbabwe are working to institutionalize: turning youth from beneficiaries into drivers of change in agriculture and food systems.

A Long-Term Vision: Building Capacity and Governance

Beyond policy and planning, the FAO-led programme will also strengthen the capacity of young people and government personnel to engage meaningfully with agrifood challenges. This includes:

• Leadership development for young agripreneurs and rural youth

• Institutional strengthening within key ministries and agencies

• Establishing monitoring and evaluation frameworks to track youth inclusion outcomes

The ultimate goal is to build a future-ready agrifood system—one that is resilient to climate change, inclusive in its design, and dynamic in its capacity to generate decent employment and innovation.

A Model for Africa

This initiative is not only timely but potentially transformative for the African continent, where youth unemployment remains a persistent challenge and agrifood systems hold enormous, yet underutilized, promise.

With this programme, Zimbabwe positions itself as a regional leader in youth-centered agricultural transformation, showcasing a model of collaborative governance, inclusive policy design, and investment in young people as central to achieving food security and rural development.

As the project unfolds, it will be closely watched by neighbouring countries, development agencies, and multilateral institutions eager to replicate its successes.