ZIMBABWE: Veld fires stoke food production fears

veld fires affects food production

Harare, 29 September 2009 (IRIN) - The increasing incidence of wild fires is eroding food production in Zimbabwe, which remains a food insecure country despite a turnaround in agricultural production.

The Environment Management Agency, a government department, said recently that veld fires were being reported mainly in areas settled by new farmers, the recipients of President Robert Mugabe's fast-track land reform programme, which began in 2000 and has led to more than 4,000 white commercial farms being redistributed to landless blacks.

About 46,000 hectares of arable land has gone up in flames in recent months. Environment Africa (EA), a non-governmental organization promoting environmental management and biodiversity practices, said the capacity to fight wild fires had also been diminished in the past decade as a consequence of the country's economic contraction.

"The ability to put out fires is currently not there, and it will take some time before those charged with safeguarding the environment can respond to fire outbreaks timeously and effectively," EA spokesperson Deliwe Utete told IRIN.

"We are poorly equipped as a country, even though we are aware that there are moves by the meteorological department to source disaster identification and prevention technology." She said the increase in wildfires had been exacerbated by the nature of land redistribution.

"The patterns of ownership that resulted from the fast-track land reform programme make it easy for fires to spread - plots have been carved up to accommodate several farmers on a single plot, and the new occupants no longer prioritize putting up structures that guard against fire outbreaks."

In the first quarter of 2009, nearly seven million Zimbabweans were relying on emergency food aid, but this number is expected to decrease to around 2.8 million.

The land reform programme that sparked the country's decade of economic shrinkage, as well as dry weather patterns and political instability, are blamed for turning the country from a net food exporter to a donor-dependent state.

The formation of a unity government in February 2009 is gradually turning the country's fortunes around, although analysts believe it will be many years before Zimbabwe recovers.

Utete said the new farmers did not appreciate the importance of firebreaks and the situation was compounded by the absence of environment officers, who used to educate communities about fire management.

Denford Chimbwanda, president of the Grain Cereals Producers Association (GCPA), blamed government and the resettled farmers for not doing enough to prevent the fires. 

For more info: irin africa:veld fires

GOVERNMENT FAILING TO TAKE ACTION

"The government does not seem to be interested in fire prevention any more, and for as long as tough action is not taken against offenders, they will continue to cause veld fires, which are worse this year than in previous years. Even if we received good rains this year, the amount of food that we should have produced has been reduced before the farming season starts," Chimbwanda told IRIN.

The government does not seem to be interested in fire prevention any more, and for as long as tough action is not taken against offenders, they will continue to cause veld fires, which are worse this year than in previous years

"Our members from across the country have reported losing inputs, food reserves, and draught power [animals used for ploughing] in the fires that have also killed people, while livestock will have nowhere to graze because pastures have been destroyed."

He said it was not possible to quantify the losses, but "Many households will be forced to buy food using scarce resources because of these veld fires.

Innocent Makwiramiti, a former chief executive officer of the Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce, now an economist based in the capital, Harare, was not optimistic about any meaningful response to the veld fires.

"The government is currently broke and it would be difficult to deploy these committees effectively. In any case, the damage is already done, and attention should be put on how best to help those farmers whose preparations have been adversely affected by the veld fires."

CREATE AN OUTDOOR HAVEN

Garden landscaping ideas can be as varied as you want them to be. It is a good idea to think out of the box and create a garden that is perhaps different from the usual spaces one is used to seeing. Flowers, carpet grass, pebbled pathways, fountains and waterfalls are essentials that are incorporated into a garden. But how about building a garden that reflects your personality!

 

HERE I AM JUST GIVING A HINT OF HOW TO MAKE A GOOD GARDEN OR PARK AT YOUR HOME OR LODGE

# Theme gardens
A garden with a theme has character, with every facet keeping with the theme. The best way to work on a theme is to plan on paper how you would want your garden to look. Be realistic; if you have a small garden don’t try and fit in too many elements; as that would be a recipe for disaster. However, if space is not a restriction you can create include various elements without the fear of making the garden over crowded.

# Catch some sunshine

Study the garden carefully to know which parts get maximum sunlight. Allocate that portion of the garden for flower beds as flowering plants will need a fair amount of sunlight. However, if you are keen on creating a space where you can enjoy a bit of sunshine then you will need to integrate an area in the garden for the same. Mark a circular or rectangle spot where you can set out wicker garden furniture or wrought iron tables and chairs. It is best that this area is made hard standing as it is easy to clean and keeps away ants and bugs. It will also prevent furniture from digging into the soft garden soil.

# Perfect lighting

 

Strategically placed lamps can add a lot of drama into a garden. Proper lighting can make a garden come alive once the sun goes down. There are different kinds of lights that can be picked. Floor lights along the pathway can give it definition. Two feet high lamps are ideal for highlighting flowers and greenery planted around the garden. Avoid bright lights in the garden and focus on soft and subtle lighting.Visualize how you want your garden to be and shop for accessories at leisure. Check around different stores before you finally decide on what you want in your garden. Take time to create a garden, where you will be able to relax and entertain.

YOUR HOME AMONGST HOMES.  IT JUST NEEDS A GARDEN

INSTRUMENTS FOR TESTING ENVIRONMENT

Environmental

HANNA Instruments offers a variety of EPA approved testing equipment for environmental testing, field sampling, and on-site laboratory operations and management. Hanna's Environmental section offers multi parameters, testers and photometers needed for environmental analysis.

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Photometers
pH/EC/TDS/Temp Testers
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Probes & Electrodes
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DESIGN ENVIRONMENT

picture by Bruce Adams

If you play computer games you have come across environmental design whether you know it or not. This design aspect is the intentional placement of thematically colored objects and terrain to achieve an aesthetic. For example, a designer on an MMO may want to have a region, lets say a jungle, that is arrayed with different levels of monsters for the Ifdifferent regions that are being built. The designer has painted the terrain and placed orange colored plants and flora where the easiest monsters and creatures are found. The designer then uses the color red to signify the more dangerous areas of the jungle where the players may have a hard time and possibly die. The layout of the jungle area can then be mixed and matched with these different colors to signify to the player, at a subconscious level, that orange is easier then red, and the player will almost always know what to avoid to stay alive. This also applies to sound engineering and placement as well. Certain sounds are interpreted as soothing and calming, while others are menacing. Of course, the designer or sound engineer need to make sure not to have repetitive sound or music looping constantly, that leads to the player turning the sound off. Good environmental design is seldom noticed but is always a needed element to a good game. The picture seen below is of Butchart Gardens located near Victoria, British Columbia, which is a real world example of environmental design.

Eco-friendly Gift Wraps

Wrapping a gift is half the fun in gift-giving. Why not skip the usual supermarket wrapping papers and make your own eco-friendly gift wraps? With a little holiday cheer and creativity, you can bring a nature and personal touch to your gifts – minus the cost of buying new, disposable gift wraps. Here are some ideas for eco-friendly wraps and accents:

Vintage containers

Vintage containers and cookie tins add a nostalgic touch to presents. Many vintage containers become collectibles after their first use and can be repurposed as packaging. With their understated elegance, vintage tins and containers beat throwaway wrapping paper for style and function.

Furoshiki

Furoshiki gift wraps come in a variety of colors and prints. They can be used as shopping bags, protective covering, and reusable gift wraps. The art of wrapping gifts with eco-friendly wrapping printed cloths or Furoshiki uses techniques similar to another Japanese art, origami. The Japanese government recently encouraged the use of Furoshiki to promote environmental protection in the country against excessive use of plastic bags. One advantage of Furoshiki is that it can be used to wrap almost any object of all shapes and sizes.

Découpage

Use old newspapers, music sheets, ancient maps, and other eye-catching pieces for a gift wrap that says a lot before it is even opened. Calendars, posters, and even comic book pages can be used as découpage gift wraps in place of store-bought ones.

Leaves

For a real ‘green’ touch, wrap gifts in large, durable leaves. Complete the nature packaging by using twine or jute string to neatly tie up the gift.

Accents

Common flowers can be used as accents in eco-friendly gift wraps.

Natural items

DIY Network shows how common, easy-to-find natural items can be used as accents in gifts. Pinecones, cypress, cinnamon sticks, and even berries can be mixed and matched for visual impact.

Holiday flower garlands

Spruce up your gifts with nature’s own holiday decorations. Seasonal blooms and wildflowers can be used as floral garlands in place of throwaway plastic bows and ribbons.

Recycled materials

If you’d rather recycle old stuff than buy new ones, take your cue from How About Orange‘s DIY bows made from old magazines. Posters, colorful prints, and even fabric can bring a splash of colour to gifts without any additional cost.

Have your own green gift wrap idea? We’d love to hear your ideas in the comments below.

Should Zimbabwe ban the importation of second hand vehicles and what are your reasons?

Zimbabwe: Imported Used Vehicles Drive Air Pollution

The huge demand for used imported vehicles and poor restrictions are causing traffic congestion and worsening air quality in most cities in Africa, environmental experts say.

Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) director Anumita Rayochowdhury told African journalists at the first India-Africa Dialogue on air quality and mobility that the unfettered importation of used vehicles mainly for Asia, Europe and America had made controlling traffic congestion and improving air quality in Africa and India difficult.

"India and Africa share the same problems and we have to share experiences to find solutions to the problem of air pollution," she said.

"Nairobi, Dehli and other cities in the South need second generation action, including technology leapfrog, scaling up of public transport, integrated multimodal transport options, car restraints and walking for clean air."

The dialogue, which was organised by CSE and the Media for Environment, Science, Health and Agriculture (MESHA-Kenya), sought to raise the understanding of experiences of cities in India and Africa on air pollution among journalists.

Environmentalists at the dialogue said the rapid expansion in the vehicle population, mining and manufacturing and higher energy demand have resulted in high emission rates of major air pollutants resulting in a deterioration of the ambient air quality in major cities across the rapidly urbanising African continent.

They said vehicle import statistics for Africa are not known and are not easy to give an estimate.

"The stock of vehicles is quite old and most African countries are failing to enforce vehicle emission control policies," said Prof Nzioka Muthama of the University of Nairobi.

"Disjointed policies and vehicle import tariff regimes and the absence of emission standards mean that most African countries will continue to be flooded with imports of low-cost second-hand vehicles that do not meet strict emission standards of the countries of their origin."

Prof Shem Wandiga, director of the Institute of Climate Change at the University of Nairobi, said the rapid increase of motor vehicle traffic with most African countries having limited or non-existent standards for vehicle import and emissions and poor fuel quality resulted in the importation of old second hand vehicles using fuels with high sulphur levels which consequently increased air pollutant emissions.

Emissions, he said, introduced pollutants which directly and indirectly altered the quality of air and resulted in undesirable effects on man, animals, vegetation and materials.

He also said that limited transport planning and management in urban areas had resulted in inadequate provision of public transport, inadequate investment in infrastructure for motorised transport, non-motorised transport and pedestrian traffic.

This, Prof Wandiga said, reduced urban mobility options, increasing traffic congestion and air pollutant emissions.

Health experts say dirty air can cause lung damage as well as heart diseases, strokes and cancer.Last year, the World HealthOrganisation estimated that one in eight deaths worldwide resulted from air pollution.The UN health agency found that air pollution in African homes contributed to nearly 600 000 deaths in 2012.

Africa had the third highest level of deaths per capita from indoor air pollution of any region of the world, though it was still well behind the western Pacific region including China and South-East Asia.WHO figures for deaths per capita from outdoor air pollution in Africa are still below the world average as lack of data is a major barrier.

Pollution monitoring is still minimal in Africa which faces numerous other problems. Lack of air pollution equipment, financial and human resources still affect air pollution control systems in Africa.Only the WHO assesses outdoor pollution in Africa by drawing from satellite data, inventories of pollution sources, air current modelling and occasional ground monitoring.

In Zimbabwe, second-hand car imports gobbled US$469 million in 2014 alone despite a 2010 Government ban on the importation of vehicles older than five years to curb pollution.According to the Zimbabwe Statistics Agency, more than 4 500 new vehicles were imported last year and these mainly included brands such as Toyota, Nissan, Isuzu and Mazda, all from Japan.

Should Zimbabwe ban the importation of second hand vehicles and what are your reasons?

 By SifelaniTsiko