Mozambique aims to establish regional strategy against “uncontrolled slash and burn”
[ 2010-01-26
]
Maputo, Mozambique, 26 Jan – Mozambique Monday called for joint strategies to be drawn up by countries in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to combat “the tradition of uncontrolled slash and burn” in agriculture, warning of the environmental damage the custom causes.
The need to coordinate efforts in the fight against “uncontrolled slash and burn” that is so common in African societies for agriculture, was reiterated Monday at a seminar in Maputo about natural disasters, attended by representatives of 15 SADC countries.
“In our communities, it is a tradition to tame the land for agriculture using uncontrolled slash and burn techniques, but these practices lead to enormous environmental damage,” said the deputy minister for Coordination of Environmental action, Ana Chichava.
As the 15 SADC country’s share the same geographical region, the risk of fires spreading is real, Chichava noted.
Chichava noted the execution of national plans to control and combat the burning and the use of good environmental management practices in communities, at a low cost, as a way of preventing the problem.
Noting specifically the Mozambican case, Chichava described the situation as “worrying” mainly in seasons with a lack of rain. (macauhub)
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