By CHARITY MOONGA –

THE four-day Africa Green Revolution Forum (AGRF) opens in Lusaka tomorrow with the theme “Walking the Talk on Youth and Women–Bringing Inclusive Agricultural Markets to Life”.
The forum is being hosted by the Zambian Government and the Common Market for East and Southern Africa (COMESA).
The Coordinating Partner is the Alliance for Commodity Trade in Eastern and Southern Africa (ACTESA)
The Forum, which will be attended by over 400 delegates will give an opportunity for young agribusiness owners to connect with peers and industry leaders, gain leadership skills and networks as they shape their careers.
The delegates will also learn about capacity development skills and discuss key points ,including desired outcomes to be shared during the AGRF.
Among the speakers at the forum will be,  AGRF Program Director Michael Sudarkasa, 2015 , Iinternational Agriculture Indaba Chairman Chance Kabaghe. Others will be President for Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, Dr Agnes Kalibata, Chairman, ECONET Wireless Strive Masiyiwa, and COMESA secretary general Sindiso Ngwenya.
The keynote address will be given by African Development Bank (ADB) president Dr Akinwumi Adesina while Agriculture and Livestock, Minister Given Lubinda will also be in attendance. President Edgar Lungu was also supposed to grace the forum.
The AGRF, a high-level meeting is aimed at developingconcrete investment plans for driving Africa’s agricultural makeover.
Zambia, a leading agro nation, is for the first time hosting the annual AGRF which is taking place from September 29 to October 2 2015.
The AGRF is a forum which hosts African and international leaders as well as policy makers, development specialists, scientists,representatives of agribusinesses and farmer organisations to discuss
food and nutrition security and agricultural growth in the continent.
Yesterday, the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) facilitated a field visit to Zambian agribusinesses for journalists, ahead of the AGRF.
The field visit accorded journalists the opportunity to see first-hand the impact that improved seed has had on farmers and learn about the support and guidance needed to make local businesses thrive.
The areas visited were the smallholder farm in Kabwe and Afriseed in Lusaka.