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Municipal Reporter
CULTIVATING in undesignated areas is an environmental hazard that leads to serious land degradation, the Mutare City Council has warned residents.
This comes in the wake of heightened land preparations for the start of the 2022-2023 agricultural season as some areas continue to receive rainfall.
Urban farming is prevalent in most residential areas around Mutare and on the city’s peripheries.
In a notice to the public, the local authority said urban farming activities must not pose danger to the conservation of invaluable local resources but protect the environment.
“In terms of council by-laws and regulations, only land designated for cultivation may be put to use for the 2022-2023 agricultural season. No cultivation shall be permitted on land within 30 metres from stream banks, land within 10 metres of a road, land on slopes or uphill and land that has been surveyed for residential and industrial development,” reads the notice.
City of Mutare said for residents to carry out farming activities around the city, they must obtain permits from their Housing and Community Services Department.
Cultivation in undesignated areas may lead to the destruction of crops and/or prosecution, added the local authority.
Online Reporter