Many residents have planted maize on open spaces in the city to boost food security. As the crop grows, so does people’s anxiety over the fate of their crops on small patches of fields dotted across the urban area.
“An illegal act remains illegal and as council we will observe the by-laws. In the meantime, we have not taken a decision regarding the 2015 urban farming issue,” said Manyenyeni, refusing to pre-empt the possible decision his council would take.
In the past, at this time of the year, municipal police usually engage in running battles with urban farmers defying council intentions to destroy the crop. Given the unprecedented silence from the City authorities on the issue, residents have expressed optimism that this time around the crop would be spared.
Simbarashe Moyo, chairperson Combined Harare Residents Association, was hopeful that the local authority would see logic and that sanity would prevail to save the maize crop from destruction.
“We expected Harare to have communicated with residents before the farming season began if it intended to slash crops grown around residential areas. The position should have been made clear early enough. The least one would expect from the local authority is to destroy ripen crop,” Moyo said, warning that should Harare behave otherwise, this would anger residents into responding accordingly.
According to Moyo, the economy was ailing, leaving citizens desperately surviving on anything with the potential to sustain lives.
With warnings against disturbing livelihoods of the struggling poor by President Robert Mugabe’s wife, Grace, still ringing in people’s ears, it is unlikely that the authorities would dare destroy the crop. Grace castigated local authorities and police for demolishing shelter for the poor without providing alternatives and the state law enforcement agency for harassing street vendors respectively.
With an estimated 80 percent of the workers engaging in informal economic activities for a living, urban farming would come handy to supplement family food requirements.
“Since I lost my job at the National Railways in 1997, my family has been sustained by the urban farming activities. I pray that the mayor and his councillors as representatives of residents, see sense and spare the crop,” said Timothy Kamwendo, 72, of Budiriro.
Managerial sources at Town House said council had powers to slash maize crop grown at undesignated areas which pose danger to people’s lives.
“Cases of mugging would increase with the maturing crop, as thugs and other criminals find hiding places in the fields. It is in the best interest of residents that maize crops cultivated 10-15 meters from the roads be slashed,” said the source, indicating that council had no problem with urban farming provided it is done in proper places.
Post published in: Agriculture