Soil conservation Indaba starts in Bulawayo

THE Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, through the Department of Engineering, Mechanisation and Soil Conservation is today holding a national soil and water conservation policy consultative indaba at a Bulawayo hotel.
The policy is meant to guide the protection and management of water bodies and land, in line with the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1).
In an interview on Tuesday morning, chief director in the Department of Agricultural Engineering, Mechanisation and Soil Conservation, Engineer Edwin Zimunga said land users, catchment area management stakeholders, farmers, mines, Environmental Management Agency (EMA), farmer organisations, scientists, academia and industry are among stakeholders expected to attend.
“The whole point behind the soil and water conservation policy is to make sure that we are also aligning with the international water soil charter and how to protect our soils, guard against soil erosion, siltation of national water bodies, loss of productive soil from the land as well as mitigating against land degradation. It is a cross-cutting matter as it encompasses various stakeholders, mining, construction, manufacturing, farming, as long as we use land,” said Eng Zimunga.
Mining, industrialisation, urban expansion, water pollution, are some of the activities through which land is being degraded. The damage caused on wetlands, stream bank cultivation and deforestation significantly contribute to the degradation.
The draft policy was initially set to be ready by August 2023 but had to be halted.
“The draft policy could not be ready in August 2023 due to competing priorities, we had elections and funding for that particular exercise had to be stopped especially the stakeholder validations to hold meetings when people where in a political mood. We are now doing that so that we can take it to the next level,” said Eng Zimunga.
Healthy soils are a basic prerequisite to meeting varied needs for food, biomass (energy), fiber, fodder, and other products, and to ensuring the provision of essential ecosystem services in all regions of the world. However, humankind is facing unprecedented pressures on soil resources. In particular, soil degradation of various types including sealing due to fast urbanization are taking their heavy toll, threatening food security and ecological balance. With the Sustainable Development Goals currently under consideration and soon to be implemented, it is fundamental to ensure sustainable management of soils in order to make these goals a reality