Further initiatives for youth

SOME of the 2017/18 youth development initiatives include:

Ensuring all DRDAR programmes in the communities have local youth beneficiation.

The Rural Appropriate Technology Unit (Ratu), which has been incorporated into DRDAR, will support and train co-operatives of unemployed youth.

Engaging youth co-operatives for construction of fencing of arable land in rural farming areas covering 167km (Amathole 62km; OR Tambo 44km; Chris Hani 31km; Alfred Nzo 20km; and Joe Gqabi 10km). This will provide 838 jobs.

Create a Rural Wealth Creation Centre at Fort Cox, targeting 200 youth co-ops in the entepreneur incubator programme, farmer production support and rural/urban market programme. This targets youth from land reform beneficiaries, unemployed youth and entrepreneurs in general.

DRDAR is partnering with the land reform department so the trained practitioners can ultimately acquire land through the land reform programme.

R5.8-million is budgeted for production inputs which will enable them to run several cycles of broiler and layer enterprises as a business using existing Fort Cox farm infrastructure.

R1.9-million to be used in cooperation with the University of Fort Hare in a household food security programme targeting 60 unemployed youth to be trained in an accredited NQF 4 field. They will in turn train others to reach and support 300 households in a bid to achieve effective household vegetable production.

R6-million for a learnership programme targeting 190 youth within current land reform and CASP programmes on crop and animal production.

300 school-going learners will be encouraged through career exhibitions and on-site demonstrations.

R4-million to provide poultry structures for farming enterprises.

R4-million for a piggery in support of young farmers in BCM and Mthatha.

170 youth will benefit from a crop and animal production and agribusiness skills development learnership programme.