By Sofia Mapuranga RELOCATION to agriculturally productive areas is the only long-term solution for some communities in Buhera South district that experience perennial food shortages, a government official said last week. Speaking on the sidelines of a training workshop organised by the World Food Programme (WFP) in Masvingo last week, District Administrator for Buhera, Rolland Madondo said Buhera South was not suitable for human habitation.
He said relocation was the only solution for some communities that have experienced over a decade of drought and were surviving on food aid from government and the donor community.
“It is not feasible for the government to provide food assistance to the same communities year in year out,” said Madondo. “As far as I can recall, these communities in Mutiusinazita and Muzokomba areas have not had sustainable yields for the past decade and they are dependent on the government and non-governmental organisations for food aid.”
He added that the only long-term solution was to identify suitable land in other regions to resettle the affected communities.
Madondo said relocation was costly and communities might resist the exercise but “it is a practical solution”.
Isaac Mtetwa, an Agriculture Extension officer, said most communities in Buhera South were in dire need of aid.
The Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee (ZimVAC) last year estimated that over one million people living in the rural areas would not be able to meet their cereal requirements for the year 2011-2012 until the next harvesting season.
