The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Zimbabwe recently hosted a courtesy visit from the World Food Forum (WFF) Zimbabwe Youth Chapter, highlighting FAO’s dedication to empowering young people as key drivers of agrifood systems transformation. The meeting convened youth leaders, entrepreneurs, and FAO officials to discuss collaborative efforts in fostering innovation, leadership, and policy advocacy for sustainable food systems.
The World Food Forum, launched globally in 2021, engages youth across Zimbabwe’s provinces to advance national efforts toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals through innovation, inclusion, and entrepreneurship. FAO Subregional Coordinator for Southern Africa, Patrice Talla, emphasized the importance of youth in shaping the future of agriculture, acknowledging challenges such as access to finance and land while stressing the value of platforms like the WFF to create opportunities and a global movement for food.
Sabin Lamichhane, representing FAO’s Office of Youth and Women in Rome, highlighted the significance of youth-led partnerships, noting that the WFF builds bridges between young people and institutions to empower African youth in driving change through innovation, financing, and collaboration. From the youth perspective, Cinderella Ndlovu, National Leader of the WFF Zimbabwe Chapter, underscored the mission to mobilize young people nationwide, creating platforms where youth voices influence policy, inspire action, and foster innovation across all provinces.
Young entrepreneurs also shared their experiences of FAO-supported initiatives. Bhoko Desmond from Chimanimani credited the FAO Green Jobs Project with providing funding and mentorship to launch Kopa Green Ventures, a solar energy and agribusiness company that integrates renewable energy with farming and agrifood processing. Tafadzwa Manyanye from Masvingo Province described how his youth-led initiative, FoodWealth, helps smallholder farmers reduce post-harvest losses through mobile grain shelling, grading, and packaging services, demonstrating how small-scale innovation can strengthen local agrifood systems.
The engagement reaffirmed FAO’s commitment to supporting youth-led networks under the World Food Forum, ensuring that young Zimbabweans continue to play a central role in building sustainable, resilient, and innovative agrifood systems for the future.
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