Building young farmers' capacity for change in the central district : final report BSS271

Abstract

In agriculture, young farmers are rapidly becoming a scarce commodity and any encouragement and assistance for existing young farmers will play an important role in the future of that agricultural industry. The sugar industry is no exception, and must assist in capacity building of its young farmers, as they will be the future managers of this industry. As the sugar industry comes to terms with the challenges that face its growers and their survival, the investment in building young farmers capacity for change will play a vital role in industry sustainability. This study tour allowed 13 young farmers from the Central Region to investigate, observe and discuss issues that the group had highlighted earlier at a group meeting. The young farmers in this group have been active for a number of years, but activity declined in the last two years because the downturn in the sugar industry (low sugar price and droughts) has forced members to seek alternative income for survival. The experiences of the study tour have reinvigorated the members of this group and the group is keen to look at the challenge that confronts this industry with optimism it deserves