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Zambian farmers have been tipped to shift to conservation farming practices that do not endanger the environment.
Conservation Agriculture is defined as a farming system that promotes minimum soil disturbance, maintenance of a permanent soil cover, and diversification of plant species.
It is said to be enhancing biodiversity and natural biological processes above and below the ground surface, which contribute to increased water and nutrient use efficiency and to improved and sustained crop production.
Citizen for Better Environment (CBE) executive director Mweene Himwiinga observed that the continued use of herbicides and other chemical weed killers is a serious challenge to the environment.
“We need to revisit some of the agriculture practices by embracing smart agriculture, the use of artificial fertilizers and chemical weed killers is not helping matters, we need to move to natural ways of cultivation,10 to 20 years ago we were using the natural way that is best for our biodiversity,” Himwiinga said.
She wants a rethink on the’ rampant’ use of pesticides among others if the country is to seriously tackle climate change that is affecting the environment.
According to Himwiinga, despite organic products fetching very high prices in developed countries, farmers have remained adamant.
If organic farming is practiced to commercial levels which the country can benefit from if they were produced at commercial levels.
Himwiinga said this in an interview on Tuesday, December 6, 2022.
She said artificial fertilizers being applied in crops find their way in rivers where most of the people especially in rural areas drink from hence the need to minimise the intake to preserve the environment.
Himwiinga stated that turning to organic farming was more viable as organic agriculture produce gobbles more in developed countries than the conventional ones hence reverting to the old way of farming were no artificial fertilizers were applied to protect biodiversity.
She believed the use of organic manure in farming will reduce the piling of solid waste as most of them would be used as inputs.
It should be the duty of the Government to provide more incentives to farmers that practice organic farming to encourage the farming practice.
There was a need for hybrid way farmer input support where even those farmers practicing organic farming are catered for.
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