As African Youth Farmers Hub Cooperative Limited we are an organised group of young people from a small town in Harrismith at Free State Province, we writing this letter to request the Department of Environment give us support can capacity building as we target to venture into Aquaculture and Poultry Farm in Harrismith as part of addressing key priorities in the National, Provincial and Local government, at the same time stimulating growth, creating stable job opportunities and Agriculture-Rural Development.

Background
In response to the call made by the president of the country Honourable Cyril Ramaphosa for the youth to embark on the Agricultural Revolution, we have decided to organise ourselves as young people from Harrismith to take a led and formed agricultural cooperative with 100% ownership of black youth, 60 % females and 40% males. We have decided after thorough analysis and research we conducted which has verified that there are opportunities we can explore in the Aquaculture and existing poultry industry.

Our Goals/Objectives
1. Readdressing of the legacy and exclusion and discrimination in South Africa in both Aquaculture and Agriculture.
2. The challenge is now to improve Youth participation in the Sector
3. Including and make genuine feel and see a sense of belonging in Aquaculture and Agriculture.
4. Achieve better wealth distribution through effective land use by rural communities.

Our research have shown that the existing market in South Africa and the continent including China can be turned into a solution for us to tackle challenges such as the high rate of joblessness and social calamities especially amongst the youth and women in our respective societies. This development plan should it receive your blessings and support it will directly have the following impact;
- This project supports the government’s call for Radical Economic Transformation as well as government’s Zero-hunger goals.
- Create permanent and temporarily employment opportunities
- Train and capacitate Local labour force
- Strengthen and expand the local economic base of the municipality through partnership.
- Improve living conditions of rural people.

As African Youth Farmers Hub Cooperative Limited we rely on a department of Environmental Affairs to make dream become a reality, hence we propose that the department must come on board forge partnership with African Youth Farmers Hub Cooperative Limited, this can be conducted through a formal meeting to engage on this development.

So far we have managed to bring the municipality on board, but our municipality’s capacity and resources are very limited, however the accomplishment of this project relies on acquiring buy in backing from the national government.

The success of this project will unswervingly influence the implementing of the Agricultural Policy Action Plan (APAP) in our province and add to the successes of the National government initiative ‘Operation Phakisa Ocean Economy’ as it aims at growing aquaculture production in South Africa.

It is our wish that we get into Aquaculture/ Fish Farming business in our District as we are blessed with one of the largest dams in South Africa the Sterkfontein Dam, we have witnessed that we have a stunning aquatic environment that can be of virtuous use to help create the expected job opportunities under Aquaculture-business.

We hope to hear from your office soon.
Regards
African Youth Farmers Hub Co-operative Limited Chairperson
Sabelo Sigudu
0783489488
sigudusabelo@gmail.com