(1.1 and 1.2) While some young persons are aware of and responding positively to climate change, there are many who do not identify with the need to adapt to and mitigate against the phenomena. Few processing operations have been known to try to use alternative energy sources. Yet there exists a demand in the hotel and restaurant, for dried herbs. The dry product is much more convenient for their usage.
There is still a dire need for producers to tap the energy of the sun. In the drying of produce there is a grand opportunity to utilize this source of renewable energy. Solar drying technology is readily available. It does not require a huge investment. The combination of solar heating and photovoltaic powering can be used very effectively in creating value added products while mitigating against climate change.
There is also an opportunity to replace many of the snacks used at schools with dried local fruit and thus provide healthier choices for school children.
In the effort to create a green economy, it is important for persons to ways of mitigating climate change, especially as it relates to food processing. This capacity building should increase the use of renewable energy (especially solar energy) for food processing.

(1.3) Local agriculture has a tradition of primary production. Few persons are seeking to explore the value added aspect. Often there are losses when gluts of production exist because of the failure of producers to think towards secondary production. There is a need for sensitizing and training persons to work towards creating the value added. From previous discussions, it is known that local chefs can more effectively use herbs and local fruit if they have been appropriately processed. For example, dry parsley is in high demand with chefs. There is a rising food import bill and many of the items on the bill could be produced locally using simple solar powered technology. There have been reports of dried hot peppers being imported from well outside the region. Similarly, a number of locally produced fruit could be used to substitute the import of dried fruit. There is definitely a need for local persons to engage in producing such items. Not only does it reduce the import bill, but it also reduces their contribution to greenhouse gas emissions from the shipping process.


(1.4)
Solar drying is not a regular practice locally even though the potential to do it is huge. There is a need for capacity building with regards to the use of solar energy to create dried products and for the partial drying of some commodities. Onions for example, often have variable moisture content, and so create problems for processors. Small scale facilities for further drying of onions would facilitate condiment production.

(1.5) With increasingly difficult economic times, rising unemployment and other cultural factors impacting, some young persons have migrated towards a growing ?block? culture. For some it is seen as a survival mechanism. In some cases a good education no longer guarantees a job and some persons have become disillusioned. The block culture has the potential to be fertile ground for nurturing a ?drug culture? and other harmful social activities. The power of positive entrepreneurship is being heralded as the way forward for empowering young people and reversing the above mentioned trends. Agri-entrepreneurship, in particular, provides an important process for securing fresh local produce for the nation.