Soil, water conservation policy on the cards
GOVERNMENT is formulating a policy framework to protect soil and water quality amid revelations that nearly 200 million tonnes of topsoil are eroded and dumped into water bodies annually due to poor and negligent land use systems.
As a result, the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, through the Agricultural Engineering, Mechanisation, Farming Infrastructure, Soil and Water Conservation (AEMFISWC) is conducting stakeholder cconsultative meetings to solicit inputs to formulate the Soil and Water Conservation Policy in line with the National Development Strategy (NDS1), which will guide the protection and management of land and water bodies in the country.
The consultations were held in Mutare on Monday, with stakeholders admitting that soil erosion and siltation of water bodies are serious challenges in Manicaland.
It was noted that if unchecked, erosion will strip away valuable soil and negatively affect the province’s water and ability to grow food, plants and animals.
The policy will guide the protection and management of water bodies as well as arable and non-arable land.
This follows the introduction of a soil and water conservation blitz spearheaded by Government in June as part of efforts to attain Vision 2030 targets to improve food and nutrition security.
Speaking on the sidelines of the policy formulation indaba, (AEMFISWC) chief director, Engineer Edwin Zimhunga urged farmers to conserve soil and water.
Engineer Zimhunga said the soil supports humans, livestock, flora and fauna, as well as minerals, adding that it has to be used sustainably for the survival of current and future generations.
He said there is need to adapt to the effects of climate change.
Engineer Zimhunga also said stiffer penalties should be imposed on those found either cutting down trees, conducting stream bank cultivation and starting veld fires.
He said de-siltation of dams and rivers, gully reclamation and banning interference with wetlands must be made compulsory in affected areas.
“Zimbabweans really need to adapt and maintain the thrust of production and productivity, and to do more of conservation, especially in light of the concentrated rains we receive in such a short period of time. This is how we can sustain our agriculture and be food secure. One of the unfortunate realisations is that we no longer have nutritional soil, which is the fertile topsoil that was washed away.
“As a country, we are losing an average of 50 tonnes of soil on arable land per hectare every year due to soil erosion,”said Engineer Zimhunga.
Zimbabwe has 4 million hectares of arable land, and this means 200 million tonnes of top soil are being eroded and dumped in water bodies every year.
Engineer Zimhunga said the draft policy is expected to be completed by the end of August 2023.
He said the policy also seeks to reduce all forms of soil erosion, increase agricultural productivity without damaging soil health, harvest surface run-off using structures such as contours with infiltration pits, control runoff through drainage and restore the productivity capacity of eroded land.
Soil and water are protected through the Environmental Management Act Chapter 20:27; the Water Act; Traditional Leaders Act as well as local authorities by-laws.
“The need to improve and enforce soil and water conservation practices has its roots entrenched in Zimbabwean environmental conservation legislation. However, with respect to the current soil and water conservation efforts and practices being employed by the various stakeholders, one notices a significant gap in as far as environmental protection is concerned. There is need for the implementation of a new strategy to amend and enhance current conservation efforts,” said Engineer Zimhunga.
He said the degradation in land quality is responsible for the reduction in the national domestic product of up to eight percent every year.
The United Nations has predicted that by 2025, two thirds of the world will be living under water-stressed conditions — that when demand outstrips supply during certain periods, with 1.8 billion people experiencing absolute water scarcity.
Engineer Zimunga said soil loss results in streams, rivers and dams drying up, and in some instances, water is buried under the soil.
“As a result, we are losing several dams, for instance, if you look at Save River, the surface is dry, but the water is plenty underground. Where do you think all that soil in Save River came from? It was eroded somewhere and dumped into the river bed. This makes siltation and soil loss fundamental issues that must be addressed, hence the envisaged soil and water conservation policy,”said Engineer Zimhunga.
According to the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), the total capacity of the 2 168 dams in the Zimbabwean component of the Limpopo basin has declined by about 29 million cubic meters due to siltation.
Acting director in the same department, Mr Hebert Gutu said although soil erosion can be caused by nature, humans are to blame for cultivating on steep slopes, poor farming methods, deforestation, overgrazing, land clearing for agricultural purpose and construction, as well as dam construction and diversion of the natural course of rivers.
Mr Gutu said they have since embarked on a soil and water conservation blitz to mitigate these challenges.Ends