Rural farmers must play active role in protecting the environment

Vhamusanda Vho-Philamisevhe Dzivhuluwani Ramalivhana, the traditional leader of Makwarani outside Thohoyandou, has called on communities to become actively involved in the fight against land degradation and not to practise farming on unsuitable areas. Ramalivhana addressed communities falling under the Matangari Service Centre during the Department of Agriculture in Vhembe’s Land Care Day, which is focused on environmental awareness, held at Makwarani Primary’s school grounds on Friday, 10 March.

During the event, experts from the Limpopo Department of Economic Development, Environment and Tourism (LEDET), Mr Michael Netshivhodza, Mr Mboswobeni Mankhili, Ms Thivhavhudzi Gloria Nekhavhambe and Mr Muofhe Masutha, shared valuable insights.

The event facilitator, Ms Lerato Prudence Nenweli, who is also the agricultural advisor in the area, said that through her daily interactions with communities in the area, she had come to realise the extent of the damage caused to the environment and felt something should be done. “We realised that communities who are largely dependent on agriculture were farming over the mountains, next to wells and even along dongas, leading to erosion in times of rain. We realised that many [farmers] did that because of a lack of knowledge, and this is the reason why we roped in the experts to come and address the issue,” she said.

Nenweli added that their programme also included the Junior Land Care, a volunteer programme that encourages young South Africans to play an active role in protecting their environment. The programme focuses on teaching children how to use their natural resources wisely and to care for the environment. “We have hope that people will have a positive outlook on the environment after this event,” she said.

Vhamusanda Vho-Ramalivhana expressed his dissatisfaction on the extent of damage being caused in rural environmental settings. “Things have changed and there is no longer control in our villages. The main culprits are residents from townships like Thohoyandou and Makwarela, who now use our villages as dumping sites for disposable nappies and other refuse. We are making a call to municipalities to have proper control on illegal dumping. We also call on our communities to desist from farming in areas that are not suitable for agriculture, for the sake of our environment,” he said.

Date:26 March 2023

By: Elmon Tshikhudo

Elmon Tshikhudo started off as a photographer. He developed an interest in writing and started submitting articles to local as well as national publications. He became part of the Limpopo Mirror family in 2005 and was a permanent part of the news team until 2019.

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