By Delicious Mathuthu
Harare, Zimbabwe – The Zimbabwean government has initiated a nationwide consultation process to develop a comprehensive National Soil Conservation Policy, which aims to promote sustainable soil management practices, enhance soil fertility and health, as well as prevent soil erosion and degradation.
The policy, launched by Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Permanent Secretary, Professor Obert Jiri in Harare on Thursday (8/08/2024), is expected to support climate change mitigation and adaptation, foster a multi-disciplinary approach, and encourage collaboration among stakeholders.
The consultations bring together government officials, farmers, traditional leaders, private sector representatives and development partners to share expertise and build consensus on the policy.
Zimbabwe’s soil resources are facing significant pressures, Prof. Jiri said, including erosion, degradation and contamination, which threaten food security and ecosystem stability.
The new policy seeks to address these challenges by establishing regulations, promoting sustainable soil management, and supporting the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“The United Nations through the Food and Agriculture organisation developed and adopted the Global Soil charter in 1981. The Soil Charter was recently reviewed in the year 2015 because there was an urgent need to update the vision and guiding principles as spelled out some 30 years ago by FAO Member Countries in the World Soil Charter (FAO, 1981),” Prof. Jiri said.
“The 13 principles listed in the charter are still valid, but needed to be updated and revised in light of new scientific knowledge gained over the past 30 years, especially with respect to new issues that emerged or were exacerbated during the last decades, like soil pollution and its consequences for the environment, climate change adaptation and mitigation and urban sprawl impacts on soil availability and functions.
“As we acclimatise the Soil charter to Zimbabwe, new priorities for action as well as follow-up activities should be identified, taking stock of past experiences and learning from the failures and mistakes that have resulted in a still persistent global problem of soil degradation, soil erosion, siltation and unsustainable use of available soil resources.”
The initiative is part of the government’s Agriculture, Food Systems, and Rural Transformation Strategy (AFSRTS), which still aims to achieve a US$13.75 billion agriculture economy by 2025.
The National Soil Conservation Policy is a expected to play a crucial role in achieving this vision by promoting sustainable land use and management practices.
The consultations will focus on key areas, including soil governance, sustainable soil management practices, soil health and fertility, soil erosion and degradation and climate change mitigation and adaptation.
Prof. Jiri said proactive measures to properly manage soil not only prevents poverty but protects the ecosystem.
“Soils are fundamental to life on earth but human pressures on soil resources are reaching critical limits.
“Further loss of productive soils will amplify food-price volatility and send millions of people into poverty.
“This loss is avoidable. Careful soil management not only secures sustainable agriculture, it also provides a valuable lever for climate regulation and a pathway for safeguarding ecosystem services,” he said.
The outcome of the consultations will inform the development of a comprehensive National Soil Conservation Policy that reflects Zimbabwe’s shared vision and goals.
