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Rejoyce Sibanda, Chronicle Reporter
BULAWAYO City Council (BCC) has warned urban farmers against cultivating in undesignated places such as swampy areas and along streams and, saying the residents risk having their crops destroyed.
The onset of the rainy season has activated the cropping season and a lot of urban farmers are busy cultivating trying to take advantage of the available moisture from the recent rains.
Most urban farmers are cultivating tracts of land in open spaces, some of which are designated for future infrastructural development. Some of Bulawayo’s urban farmers are embarking on stream bank cultivation, a serious environmental challenge and major driver of siltation affecting streams, rivers and dams in the country.
In a statement yesterday, BCC town clerk Mr Christopher Dube said cultivation in unauthorised areas is in violation of the council by-laws.
He said no one should cultivate within 30 metres of the verge of any spring vleis, sponge, marsh, swampy or reed bed.
“The City of Bulawayo would like to advise members of the public to desist from cultivating in uauthorised places. In terms of the Bulawayo (Protection of Lands and Natural Resources) By-Laws Section 13 (1), no person shall cultivate within 30 metres of the verge of any spring vleis, sponge, marsh, swamp or reed bed or within 30 metres of the high flood level of any body of artificially conversed water or within 10 metres along the road verges,” said Mr Dube.
He said council has put white stone beacons to demarcate the areas. Cultivators exceeding stone beacons risk having their crops destroyed.
“In terms of Section 10 (4) of the By-Laws, no compensation shall be paid by council in respect of any crops destroyed,” said Mr Dube.
Section 227, clause 81(1) of the third schedule of the Urban Councils Act gives local authorities powers to make by-laws on a number of issues including prohibition or regulation of land cultivation and keeping of animals.
Other laws that impact on urban farming include the Regional Town and Country Planning Act (chapter 29.12).
According to the Environmental Management Act Chapter as read with Statutory Instrument 7 of 2007 on Environmental Impact Assessment and Ecosystems Protection Regulations, it is an offence to degrade rivers and banks through unsustainable practices such as stream bank cultivation.
Any person who contravenes this statutory requirement shall be liable to a fine not exceeding level 10.
BCC and the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) have been holding awareness campaigns on the dangers stream bank cultivation, but some farmers are not taking heed of their advice.
Those who have taken the advice to cultivate at designated places are part of urban farmers who benefitted under the Intwasa programme to enhance food security.
Last season, the programme yielded a bumper harvest for most who would have planted their maize. It seems there is a great need for land as there are more and more urban farmers growing mainly maize and sweet potatoes in order to feed their families.
The need for land has resulted in the rise in stream bank cultivation. According to EMA, farming activities should be done at least 30 metres away from the highest flood level of any wetland and water body, be it a dam, lake, river, stream or weir.
Zimbabwe Farmers’ Union (ZFU) director Mr Paul Zacharia urged farmers to contact their local authorities for them to get direction in terms of the utilisation of land to avoid farming in wetlands.
“It is important for farmers to take note of that because farming in wetlands causes irreparable damage to the environment through the use of different agricultural chemicals. We are talking of proper farming methods that are recognised by laws of local authorities,” he said.
“We don’t allow stream bank cultivation, we don’t allow pollution of water sources, and equally we don’t condone farming in all undesignated areas. Farmers should follow the dictates of their local authorities.”
EMA environmental education and publicity manager, Ms Amkela Sidange said urban dwellers are cultivating in open spaces including fragile ecosystems like wetlands and stream banks.
She said this has contributed to more than 79 percent of the available wetlands in Zimbabwe being severely degraded contributing to an ecological crisis in the country.
Ms Sidange said it is a punishable offence to cultivate along stream banks, on the verge of any spring vleis, sponge, marsh, swamp or reed bed. She said cultivation is also prohibited on wetlands, hilltops or steep slopes.
“Stream bank cultivation is harmful to the environment because it weakens the banks which results in the breaking of rivers. It also causes siltation of water bodies which will result in water shortages mostly for downstream communities,” she said.
Ms Sidange said they had done awareness campaigns to show how dangerous stream bank cultivation was to the environment through their social media platforms.
“We did awareness programmes advising urban farmers not to cultivate 30 metres from the stream banks. When we cultivate, we loosen the soil and when the rains come, that soil is washed into our water bodies,” she said.
Ms Sidange said there are chemicals that are being used by farmers like fertiliser and pesticides and that goes into water bodies.
The growing of crops and application of fertilizers within the river banks leads to the water pollution through enrichment from dissolved nutrients that stimulate the growth of aquatic plant life and death of animal life from lack of oxygen.
Urban agriculture defined as a system of land use for agricultural purposes for crop production and animal husbandry within the urban environment has become so popular and has virtually transformed land on the outskirts of most suburbs into green belts, despite concerns from environmentalists who cite serious deforestation as people clear the land for farming activities.
Bulawayo Progressive Residents’ Association (BPRA) secretary for administration Mr Thembelani Dube urged residents to abide by the law.
“Residents should refrain from stream bank cultivation as it may cause harm to the environment. However, the council needs to understand that there is urban agriculture being practised by most residents, which is a part and parcel of our economy,” he said.
Mr Dube said could should first alert the residents and evidently show them where they would have wrongly planted their crops before destroying them.
Bulawayo United Residents’ Association (Bura) chairperson Mr Winos Dube said residents should heed the warning by both council and EMA.
“The residents should avoid going beyond the designated places so that their crops are not destroyed. For the past decades, we have had cases of residents complaining that the council destroyed their mature crops,” he said.
“To avoid such cases, residents should just adhere to the council by-laws.” — @ReeSibanda
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