Online Reporter
Lonster Mutata
Herald Reporter
THERE is need to formalise urban cultivation as part of a broader national effort to strengthen Zimbabwe’s food security since many supplement their food supplies from the little urban plots, Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Minister Dr Anxious Masuka has said.
Speaking at a recent interactive session he hosted for Ministers of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Dr Masuka said urban agriculture, as it is commonly known, must be understood and approached as “urban cultivation”, a practice he said was central to national food sustainability.
Dr Masuka said “urban cultivation is a crucial element in the equation and matrix of food security in Zimbabwe”.
The Government will soon craft and implement an Urban Cultivation Development Plan to guide the sector’s growth.
He noted Harare’s heavy reliance on rural provinces for food supplies.
“Harare is the biggest consumer of agricultural products, yet there is no formal cultivation taking place in the city.”
Dr Masuka said the Government’s plan will also include the establishment of regulated and structured urban markets to ensure farmers benefit from their labour.
One of the things that would be done includes ensuring structured markets in cities for agricultural produce.
“Formal, structured markets must be established so that farmers realise true value for their produce,” said Dr Masuku.
Harare Metropolitan Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution Senator Charles Tawengwa, said it was critical to place urban cultivation within a formal national policy framework, which is an indispensable element “in the national food security matrix”.
“Harare Metropolitan Province will remain a key driver in food security and sustainable economic transformation in line with Vision 2030,” said Minister Tawengwa.
Formalising urban agriculture is expected to enhance efficiencies, support livelihoods and align the province with national agricultural and economic targets. It is also expected to streamline production activities, create resilient supply chains and reinforce the Government’s broader agricultural transformation agenda.
ARDA operations director, Mr Shingirai Jenah, said farmers in the province have begun receiving inputs, noting that the organisation has already provided seed, chemicals and fertilisers for 12 000 ha.
