By JAMES KUNDA 
THE Government has urged youths to actively engage in smart agriculture due to the sector’s wealth and employment creation potential.
Ministry of Agriculture Principle agriculture specialist Stanley Banda said agriculture had a lot of opportunities that young people could utilise to create sustainable livelihoods.
Mr Banda said this in Lusaka during and internship and innovation grant programme facilitated by the Accelerating Impacts for CGIAR Climate Research for Africa (AICCRA) at the University of Zambia.
He commended AICCRA for the support, saying it was timely as the Government sought to forge partnerships with organisations interested in improving the welfare of young people.
At the same occasion, BongoHive Zambia co-founder and innovation and entrepreneurship director Simunza Muyangana said the firm had held a start-up indaba for 60 young people interested in agriculture innovation.
Mr Muyangana said it was unfortunate that despite the agriculture sector’s contribution to the national Gross Domestic Product, it accounted for a mere two per cent in employment opportunities.
Mulungushi University natural resources and environmental sciences Head Joseph Mwale said the institution had recorded an increase in the number of young people taking up the field of agriculture study.
His comments were echoed by UNZA senior lecturer, researcher and consultant Bridget Bwalya Umar.
Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM) programme development and implementation deputy executive secretary Alice Mweetwa applauded the strides the country was taking to enhance youth participation in agriculture.
Better World Innovations director general Casco Mubanga urged young people to believe in their entrepreneurial potential and supplement the Government’s employment creation agenda. 
And speaking at a Press briefing after the event, AICCRA Zambia Cluster lead Inga Jacobs-Mata said the institution was working with a number of local entities to drive the agenda of youth participation in agriculture.