Journal of Global Resources

Volume 3

July 2016
Page 105-110
ISSN: 2395-3160 (Print), 2455-2445 (Online)

13
THE ROLE OF YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS IN THE TRANSFORMATION OF
AGRICULTURE AND FOOD SYSTEMS IN ZIMBABWE
Raymond Erick Zvavanyange1 Nyasha Freeman Musikambesa2 and Tawanda Chitiyo3
1

Country Representative,
Young Professionals for Agricultural Development, Harare, Zimbabwe
Email: zvavanyanger3@gmail.com
2

Sustainable Livelihoods Specialist
LongCliffe Agriculture, Marondera, Zimbabwe
Email: nyashafreeman@gmail.com
3

Independent Energy Specialist
Area C, Dangamvura, Mutare, Zimbabwe
Email: tchitiyo08@gmail.com

Abstract: This article describes the role of young entrepreneurs in the transformation ofagriculture and food systems in Zimbabwe. The role was in response to Innovation Baraza, anovel initiative by Udugu Institute, and an emerging platform for entrepreneurs in Africa. Our
featured idea recognized the need to focus on agriculture and food systems as well as energy
access in order to redress poverty and hunger problems in Zimbabwe. Food security andenergy access were the core components in the idea, which is premised on establishinglinkages between agricultural and industrial development. The Business Model would pilot in
Dora community of Mutare, Manicaland Province. The Model is youth-led and youth driven,and mobilises community members in the medium-to-long-term. Our Business Model had
economic, environmental, and social impacts, all which made it unique. We argue that young
entrepreneurs can offer practical solutions to persistent community problems when opportunity
presents itself. We conclude that the transformation of agriculture and food systems via
energy access must be pursued vigorously for what later turns out as successful solutions
were once latent ideas.
Key words: Agriculture, Food Systems, Energy, Entrepreneurs, Transformation
Introduction
Globally, it is recognized that young people deeply care about persistent community problems,and are quick to take the initiative whenever an opportunity appears. Innovation Baraza (IB) isa novel initiative by Udugu Institute (UI) in Zimbabwe which seeks to showcase the best andbrightest young entrepreneurs. The platform nurtures ideas from forward-thinking young
people for action in their respective communities. IB works this way: entrepreneurs showcase
their ideas to judges and the public for voting and selection. One of the premises in the105

initiative is that excellent ideas can trigger the transformation processes in society. Agriculture
and food systems are particularly important in the African context given the contribution of thefield to food and nutrition security and livelihoods at household level.
According to Argwings-Kodhek, Minde and Jayne (2002), agricultural transformation is
the process by which individual farms shift from highly diversified, subsistence-oriented
production towards more specialized production oriented towards market or other systems ofexchange (e.g., long-term contracts). The authors goes on to state that the process involves agreater reliance on input and output delivery systems and increased integration of agriculture
with other sectors of the domestic and international economies. Agricultural transformation iscentral to redressing Africa’s poverty and hunger problems, and is a prerequisite for broader
structural transformation.
There was a nationwide call for submission of innovative ideas in the Innovation
Baraza. Atta-Mensah (2015) argues that Africa has to be described by Africans. In thisregard, forty finalists were selected from among submitted ideas to take part in the inauguraledition. The forty finalists squared against each other. Together with the judges’ evaluations
and public voting, 5 Top Team finalists were selected, and further competed in Kenya inOctober 2015. The objective of this article is to elaborate our featured idea in IB. The key
research questions which underpin our Business Model are: Can energy security hold the key
to food security? Can food security hold the key to energy access? We assert that this idea
links agricultural and industrial development, a critical factor in addressing the complex
challenges of our time.
ANALYSIS
Food Transformation in Africa
Atta–Mensah (2015) argues that Africa seeks to transform itself into a middle-income continent
within a generation. He goes on to state that this will require a development agenda whose
implementation is inclusive and is aimed at uplifting majority of citizenry from poverty as wellas growing the middle class. Argwings-Kodhek, Minde and Jayne (2002) state that failure toinvest in agriculture and the rest of the food system can choke off the process of structuraltransformation and hunger alleviation. Gabre-Madhin & Johnston (2002) argue that more
broadly, structural transformation depends on the interactions among four key factors: the rateof agricultural productivity growth, the rate of non-farm employment growth, the extent ofmarketed agricultural surplus, and the growth of the total labour force. Argwings – Kodhek,Minde & Jayne (2002) observe that the food system provides a range of benefits that include
creation of employment, generation of capital, inputs, and demand necessary for expansion of
non-agricultural sectors.
Food is a matter of national interest to the Government of Zimbabwe, as agriculture is
the backbone of the country’s economy. According to Moyo and Ngobese (1991), the agrarian
question in Zimbabwe is central to agricultural development and employment creation. The
agrarian reform programme initiated by the Government of Zimbabwe in the year 2000s, wasin part meant to restore the means of food production to the black population, who weresubjugated during the colonial period. Badiane (2002) opines that in order to sustain the106

growth rates that are needed to reduce poverty and food security in the long run, countries will
have to find a way of using the recovery in the agricultural sector and the rest of the rural
economy to stimulate growth in the overall economy. This entails a shift in the income classes
for which Atta-Mensah (2015) argues that there is a need for a better understanding of what
constitutes structural economic transformation before the shift in income classes occurs.
Thus, achieving food system transformation is not an end in itself.
Young Entrepreneurs in Africa
According to de Soto (2013), people are, by nature, entrepreneurial – particularly the poor,
who typically have no alternative for feeding their families other than going into business forthemselves, as street vendors or shantytown entrepreneurs. Elumelu (2015) argues that
entrepreneurs are connected to their communities; have deep insights into local consumer
demand and development gaps; and often discover inventive ways to meet social andeconomic needs. He goes on to state that it is not unusual in the African context to hearstories of entrepreneurs whose business ideas were inspired by the struggles of those closestto them prompting them to develop, for example, new healthcare delivery units, adaptivemodels of agricultural processing and web-based trading platforms accessible onsmartphones.
UI took the time to orient the selected forty finalists through a series of training
workshops prior to the inaugural edition of IB. Topics covered included: intellectual property
rights, research and marketing, branding of business, and the pitching of business idea topotential investors. This is particularly important in protecting the innovator’s ideas andpreparing them for the ‘rules’ of the business environment (de Soto 2013). de Soto (2013)
argue that to do all the things that entrepreneurs in developed countries take for granted – like
dividing labour, using property as collateral, protecting personal assets, expanding markets, orcreating economies of scale – entrepreneurs in developing nations need the standards that
only legal institutions can provide. He adds that institutions are crucial to facilitating thecreation of wealth through entrepreneurship.
Government of Zimbabwe’s rural electrification programme has not adequately covered
all the areas, which creates space for enthusiastic entrepreneurs. The energy frontier presents
an opportunity for rural communities to leapfrog to cleaner energy forms. Research indicatesthat household waste can be used to make fuel briquettes. By so doing, rural communities areable to transform themselves to become centers of social and economic transformation.
BUSINESS MODEL
Problem Identification and Proposed Solution
We suggested the establishment of a free-range indigenous chicken production coupled withbio gas generation for Dora community in Mutare District, Manicaland Province (BusinessModel, Figure 1). In the model there is biological conversion of methane (gas produced in biodigester) to methanol (industrial development). We believe this is a sustainable, cost-effective
and co-operative solution with multiple benefits to community members. Dora is characterizedby; inter alia, severe dry spells, soil erosion, low water retention, low crop yields, and a highrisk of crop failure. There is deforestation because of lack of adequate wood fuel. The107

households face nutrition and agricultural productivity challenges, empowerment issues
among women and youth and lack of income.
Figure 1: Business Model

Source: Authors’ creation

usiness Model and its Impacts
Uniqueness of Business
Waste is a resource with value in our outlined business model. The Business Model ispremised on the fact that there will be mobilization of the young people in Dora iin favor of theshared goals and outcomes. The Business Model also provides for clean households
hoandenvironment.
Economic Impacts
Multiple uses of the products generated (e.g. slurry can be dried up and use as
fertilizer or sold to generate income); andValue addition which opens new opportunities as well as markets in rural areas.
Environmental Impacts
Clean and smoke - free environment; andThe use of biogas
iogas (as alternative energy source) will complement the afforestation
efforts in Dora.
Social Impacts
Promotes food and nutrition security among the rural dwellers;
dwellers;
Leads to empowerment of women and young
you people; and108

Reduces migration of the young people to urban centers in search of better
opportunities.
Discussion
We argue for new ways to view the rural communities in Zimbabwe versus the negative
stereotypes (e.g. backward and unintelligent) associated with rural areas. Locally available
resources can be turned into wealth which can be used by the targeted communities, in ourcase, Dora. The Business Model would be youth-led and youth-driven. In order to arrive at
the numbers that would make it viable as a business entity, we further suggested the use of
co-operatives among the members interested in the idea. We contend that the agriculture andfood dimension within the broad idea is manageable at small scale but the energy dimension
needs more numbers of community members in order to be viable on a commercial basis.
Furthermore, the designs of the equipment needed for the bio gas digester and methanol
collections are low-cost engineering designs, which can be used in remote communities during
the up scaling process.
Conclusion
Young entrepreneurs can create jobs and wealth in their communities and this is a catalyst totransforming the rural economy in Africa. Innovations in food and agriculture as well as theenergy sector are critical to changing the fortunes of the rural dwellers. Soft skills are also
important in order for the young entrepreneurs to succeed in their Business Models.
Innovation Baraza is a market place of ideas, and enables such to achieve the impossible.
The energy from the young entrepreneurs and the wisdom from the old is also an importantmix which can lead to new behaviors in agriculture and food systems. Lastly, an innovative
idea is but a step in a series of steps to redress poverty and hunger problems in Africa.
References
1. Argwings-Kodhek, G., Minde, I.J. & T.S. Jayne. 2002. Introduction: Setting the Stage.
In: Perspectives on Agricultural Transformation: A View from Africa. T.S. Jayne, Isaac
J. Minde, & Gem Argwings-Kodhek (eds). Nova Science Publishers, New York.
2. Atta-Mensah, J. 2015. Towards the Economic Transformation of Africa. China-USA
Business Review, April 2015, Vol. 4, No. 4, 171-184, doi: 10.17265/15371534/2015.04.001
3. Badiane, O. 2002. Agricultural Recovery and Structural Transformation in AfricanCountries. In: Perspectives on Agricultural Transformation: A View from Africa. T.S.
Jayne, Isaac J. Minde, & Gem Argwings-Kodhek (eds). Nova Science Publishers, NewYork.
4. De Soto, H. 2013. How do Institutions Facilitate Entrepreneurship, Economic ReformFeature Service, March 15, 2013. Center for International Private Enterprise.
5. Elemelu, T. 2015. Why Obama’s Kenya visit might be a turning point for African
entrepreneurship, Special to CNN. Accessed on July 27, 2015
6. http://edition.cnn.com/2015/07/22/opinions/tony-elumelu-global-entrepreneurshipsummit/index.html
7. Gabre-Madhin, E.Z. & Johnston, B.F. 2002.
Accelerating Africa’s StructuralTransformation: Lessons from East Asia.
In: Perspectives on Agricultural
Transformation: A View from Africa. T.S. Jayne, Isaac J. Minde, & Gem ArgwingsKodhek (eds). Nova Science Publishers, New York.
109

8. Moyo, S & Ngobese, P. 1991. Issues of Agricultural Employment Development inZimbabwe, Working Paper Series Number 15. Harare: Zimbabwe Institute ofDevelopment Studies.
Supplementary Information
Our Business Model is a product of imaginative collaboration among Long Cliffe Agriculture,
Young Professionals for Agricultural Development (Zimbabwe Chapter), and the open-minded
Independent Energy Specialist, Tawanda Chitiyo, in response to the call from Innovation
Baraza for submission of innovative ideas.
Innovation Baraza: www.innovationbaraza.com
2015 Innovators: http://www.innovationbaraza.com/2015innovators/

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