By Kalata News
Lusaka 24/03/24 – Farmers in Zambia are calling on the Zambian Government to increase presence in their farms in view of the expected increased trespass as more Zambians begin to suffer the impact of the drought and reduced harvest.
The farmers feel the hungry and desperate Zambians will seek wild animals in their game farms and begin stealing livestock and other farm produce.
The farmers speaking through various farmer gatherings called to discuss the Government’s call to farmers to grow more foods through irrigation, told organisers of these meetings that they expected the cost of farm security to increase as more and more poachers and stock thieves begin to trespass on their lands.
According to the The Zambia National Farmers’ Union (ZNFU) Weekly Brief of Week 12, a farm security meeting was held in which stakeholders received updates on what is happening in the farming community with regards to the farm security. The farmers reported that stock thefts and poaching are rampant across the farming community with an acknowledgement that the vice on stock theft had mostly reduced but farm thefts and vandalism continue to be of much concern to the farming community.
Further reports are the inaction by police in some areas which unfortunately have seen farmers, both small- and large-scale losing faith in the system such that cases are no longer reported. Also concerns on operational issues with the security companies were highlighted and how the companies seem to not to be well vetted by the regulating body resulting in poorly and ill trained guards being deployed. Meeting heard further that some cases are poorly prosecuted resulting in the acquittal of perpetrators.
The stakeholders noted the worrying reports from the farmers and recognized that the Farm Security Committee serves as a vital liaison between agricultural stakeholders and law enforcement agencies, tasked with identifying and addressing security threats facing rural communities. Recent trends reported indicate a surge in crime incidents targeting farms, including theft of livestock, machinery, and agricultural inputs, as well as vandalism and trespassing which require serious interventions.
Wildlife Producers Association of Zambia (WPAZ) members also feared that the attitude of Zambians to consider wildlife as God-given will encourage some poachers to enter their properties with impunity in seeking the game on their lands.
Various district farmer associations (DFAs) reported a growing trend of trespass into private farms, stock theft and poaching of wild animals. The reports also noted an increased use of fire arms by poachers and stock thieves within the farming blocks.
In a meeting attended of stakeholders such as the Wildlife Producers Association (WPAZ), Judiciary, National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW), Zambia Police (ZP), District Farmers’ Associations and the Police Public Complaints Committee (PPCC), farmers were said to be afraid of staying in their farms because of armed thieves and poachers who were said to be invading farms with impunity.
“In the Choma area, there are farm reports of at least three gun shorts every day from these armed trespassers,” reported the Farm Security Representative for the Choma area.
Another concern from the farmers was the way those caught stealing from the farms were being treated by the Police and in the courts of law. The farmers felt the Zambia Police were treating those caught with kid gloves while the courts were passing lesser sentences or fines that the trespassers were happy with.
The farmers felt an armed thief caught killing animals in the farms should be treated the same way an armed robber is treated and sentenced instead of these being fined a few hundred Kwachas. Some stock thieves were said to be fined amounts less than the value of the animal stolen or killed.
The Zambian Government will therefore need to work extra hard to ensure that the work of commercial farmers as they undertake their dam construction and irrigation activities on their properties are not disturbed by armed criminals posing as cattle rustlers and poachers.
If Farmers are to grow the much needed foods for the Zambians, they need to be free to work 24 hrs in their farms without fear of being gunned down by these armed criminals.
Zambia experienced a loss of crop in 2 million hectares of out of 3 million hectares of planted fields. So far the country has about 6 months of food stocks thereafter they either harvest early crops from irrigated farms or import more foods.
