4-H Zimbabwe has launched an Agric-club for people living with disabilities as away of fighting discrimination on Agriculture related matter. For more details:

https://www.chronicle.co.zw/bulawayo-jairos-jiri-resuscitates-greenhouse-garden/

Mthabisi Tshuma, Chronicle Correspondent

JAIROS Jiri Association agriculture club in Bulawayo got a shot in the arm when its greenhouse garden was resuscitated.

Key beneficiaries of the project will be people living with disabilities around the city.

The agriculture club was created in December 2018 during the commemorations of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities and the donation came from a Harare-based company 4-H Zimbabwe Foundation in conjunction with some partners.

 

4-H Zimbabwe Foundation is an organisation which works with school children and youths to establish school and community gardens as a way of nurturing young people into agriculture to change the perception of youths about the profession.

Speaking on the sidelines of the starter kit handover ceremony where 355 seedlings of tomatoes were planted at the Jairos Jiri workshop garden in Makokoba, 4-H Zimbabwe Foundation founding director Mr John Muchenje said the gesture is a way of showing that anyone can partake in agriculture.

“I believe in President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s vision of inclusiveness. The main aim of the garden and the donation is trying to make sure we do not discriminate against people living with disabilities.

“Everyone must be involved in agriculture. The garden will also go a long way in ensuring that the association does not rely on handouts but is able to fend for itself,” said Mr Muchenje.

 The donation comes as the Jairos Jiri Association in Masvingo was closed due to lack of funding. The institution was manned by a few caretakers, but the normal courses in agriculture and other skills for people with disabilities had been put on hold.

Mr Muchenje urged farmers nationwide to play their part in ensuring that the legacy of Jairos Jiri, the founder of the association lives as he left 16 centres nationwide that house and train people with disabilities.

Mr Muchenje who is also APEX Council Youth in Agriculture national chairperson said the organisation would donate about 5 000 cabbage seedlings next month, whose output will be sold to the local market.

“The planting of tomatoes in the greenhouse is just the beginning as next month we want to donate between 3 000 to 5 000 seedlings of cabbage, depending on the space after they have cleared the land.

“We are going to partner with the association so that the initiative becomes a viable and self-sustained business,” said Mr Muchenje.

He said the profits of the business will be channelled towards the sustaining of the day to day needs of people living with disabilities among them buying groceries, medication, paying fees and electricity.

 Mr Muchenje said the next step is to lobby for the allocation of agricultural land to people living with disabilities.

“We have been told by the President that the land audit report is now in his hands. So, as a board we want youths living with disabilities to have a stake in that and get

their portion.

“They have said in the past that they want to take part in the agriculture sector and we hope they come on board and make sure that the sector blooms to ensure that Zimbabwe becomes a middle-income economy,” he said.-@mthabisi_mthire.

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