Zimbabwe: Food Security Boost As Urban Agriculture Swells During COVID-19 Lockdown
“Even way before the lockdown, urban farming chipped in to address food security issues as people lost their traditional sources of income,”
By Lemuel Chekai
253 Chat
Aug 31, 2020
Excerpt:
It’s June, right at the peak of Zimbabwe’s winter season, and either side of the Harare-Chinhoyi railway line – area bordering Warren Park D and Cold Comfort suburbs – exudes beautiful views of well-manicured greenery.
Months have passed since the last drop of summer rains and normally the view here should depict brown sun-roasted vegetation.
“Seeing a gap where people in my community were struggling to access fresh, farm-produced nourishments after the enactment of COVID-19 lockdown in March, it dawned on me that I could utilise these council-owned buffer zones and supply the vegetable market in my area,” says Boniface Chikono.
Tight enforcement of the initial COVID-19 lockdown by the police and army dealt a heavy blow farm produce suppliers who could not access markets such as Mbare and Central Business District of Harare.
This forced prices of fresh vegetables to spike as strict restrictions on movement and failure by government to pronounce farm produce suppliers as essential service confined farmers and their produce to their farmlands.
