Chronicle Editor
Vusumuzi Dube, Online News Editor
THE City of Bulawayo’s Urban Agriculture Policy is set to be revised as part of efforts to address challenges such as climate change, recurring water shortages, deteriorating carbon sinks and diminishing agro-food production spaces.
The policy has recently come under fire as one of the city’s guiding legislations that had since become outdated, having been last amended in 2006.
The policy seeks to promote urban agriculture through effective land use –cultivation and livestock- to improve the City’s livelihoods, food security and nutrition.
However, the policy is largely silent on key issues that are currently bedevilling the City such as facilitating transitions from the popular subsistence farming in the City of Bulawayo towards promoting innovations and integration of technologies to boost a modern urban-agro enterprise.
According to the latest council report, the local authority has partnered with the Bulawayo Vendors and Traders Association (BVTA) for the review of the policy.
“The Bulawayo Urban Agriculture Policy, had become outdated due to significant changes in the city’s landscape. Current challenges such as climate change, recurring water shortages, deteriorating carbon sinks and diminishing agro-food production spaces were not adequately addressed by the existing policy.
“Bulawayo had also experienced a population surge, leading to the expansion of residential areas into previously designated urban farming zones.
Additionally, climate change had negatively impacted agricultural productivity within the city, while the rise of ultra-processed foods had raised concerns about public health,” reads the report.
The review of the policy is thus expected to address some of these emerging issues.
“The goal of this review was to develop a new policy that supports a climate-smart, nutritionally balanced, and innovative urban agro-food system capable of sustainable production in limited spaces.
“The review process would involve a detailed examination of current urban food, agricultural production and livelihood practices in Bulawayo.
Ultimately, this engagement would result in the development of a model urban agriculture policy and an urban food system policy that were aligned with climate-smart principles, promote nutritional balance and facilitate sustainable and innovative food and agricultural production in limited spaces,” reads the report.
The local authority has since directed that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) be established to outline the terms, conditions and roles of the partnership, so as to kick start the process.
According to a concept note on the review process, once done, it will reflect a more detailed approach to the current urban food, agricultural production practices and livelihood practices in the City of Bulawayo.
“The eventuality of this engagement process is to develop a Model Urban Agriculture Policy and an Urban Food System Policy that are cognizant of climate-smart practices and nutritional balance and facilitate innovative and sustainable food and agricultural production in limited spaces.
“The emergent changes in the City of Bulawayo necessitate the need for a review of the current policy to develop a new comprehensive policy that will anchor an urban agro-food system cognisant of climate-smart practices, healthy nutritional balance and facilitate innovative and sustainable food and agricultural production in limited spaces,” reads the concept note.
The policy review process is expected to be completed within 12 months.
Online Reporter