In an effort to improve the livelihoods of young people through agriculture, the Phalombe Youth Arms Organisation (PYAO) has trained 25 young individuals in the production of Mbeya fertilizer/manure.
These young people were selected from seven youth clubs affiliated with the Phweremwe Youth Network in the Phalombe district, with the aim of reducing the use of chemical fertilizers that are harmful to the land in agriculture.
Speaking after the training, Olive Khambula from the Mchenga Youth Club stated that the training arrived at the right moment, as their club has ventured into agribusiness by farming and selling tomatoes and other vegetables.
“I am glad I have learned these skills, which we will pass on to our fellow club members. As you know, we were three representatives from our club during this training. We want to grow more tomatoes and increase our profits,” she said.
In his remarks, PYAO’s Programmes Manager, Stanford Chidule, stated that their organization aims to see economically empowered young people. Hence, they are implementing various interventions to ensure that these individuals are involved and that their livelihoods change.
“For someone to be productive and contribute to community development, there needs to be satisfaction in their mind, and one aspect of that is economic independence. As an organization, we are implementing various programs that improve the livelihoods of young people, one of which is the production of Mbeya fertilizer.
“Young people will be able to apply the fertilizers to their crops, while others will sell them and gain income. This initiative also ensures that the environment is protected and that soil fertility is restored, as the chemical fertilizers we have been applying to our land have been destroying its fertility, contributing to continued low yields. Mbeya manure/fertilizer has proven to restore soil fertility in a short period,” he said.
PYAO conducted the training as part of one of its programmes that promote the economic independence of young people. The training was facilitated by PYAO’s volunteers, whom the organisation supported and trained a few years ago to enable them to transfer their knowledge to other young people.
