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Youth in agriculture ask for market, financial linkages
Graduates join other guests to cut cake after completion of a two-month skills training programme at Excel Hort Consult in Mbarara City on December 12, 2023. PHOTO/RAJAB MUKOMBOZI
Over 140 youths who have completed a two-month skills training programme at Excel Hort Consult Agri business incubation hub in Biharwe Mbarara City have expressed concern that lack of financial and market linkages are likely to render the skills acquired ineffective.
The youth, who included mainly disadvantaged people like teenage mothers, refugees and People with Disabilities (PWDs) and school dropouts, were drawn from the districts of Mbarara, Kabarole, Kyegegwa, Kasese, Kikuube and Fort portal City.
“With the skills we have got I am sure every one of us is capable of starting a project. But the challenges we see are the market and financial linkages. It’s frustrating when you have a skill, but you don’t have capital for start-up, but also if you choose to start you find you can’t get a market,” leader of the youth, Patrick Mujuni, said on Tuesday during their graduation.
Mujuni noted that unlike other groups of people, they find themselves having financing problems because they don’t have collateral security.
He appealed to government and development partners to priotise youth financial inclusion and access to markets.
Excel Hort Consult director general Professor Alex Ariho acknowledged that financing challenges may at times arise but appealed to the youth to learn starting small.
“Some of the skills like in urban farming don’t require too much capital or even land, just start small you can start with planting tomatoes, go to rearing chicken, then goats and you find in a few years you are a budding entrepreneur,” he advised.
He also noted the choice of enterprise is also key emphasizing that food security -tailored enterprises cannot lack market because people have to eat.
Buhanguzi East Member of Parliament Asera Stephen advised the youth to form groups and learn to work together.
“Government has many programmes you can benefit from when you are united but also lobbying for you becomes easy when you are a group. I am happy that this skills training looked into the disadvantaged people in communities like teenage mothers,” he said.
The skills training programme that was sponsored by Goal International and Excel Hort consult saw graduates were awarded with Management Training and Advisory Centre (MTAC) certificates. Some of the skills acquired included liquid and bar soap making, urban farming, jelly and Vaseline making, business opportunity identification, tailoring and wine making among others.
