1 min
Bush burning is an age-long practice that involves setting fire on vegetation to partially or completely destroy it for farming or other purposes. This practice is common amongst farmers, especially during the dry season-- at the tail end of dry season to the rainy season-- to help them clear existing vegetation on the land in preparation of the new planting season.
Historically, there are several so-called perceived benefits that farmers believe to derive from bush burning which has made this practice popular and passed down from one generation of farmers to another. However in reality, the disadvantages outweigh the advantages causing long term adverse effects on the soil, which makes them unsuitable for production, thereby affecting food security. Although bush burning is a cost effective way to destroy vegetation, it destroys every other beneficial living organism in the soil, leaving the soil with weak structures that can hardly support crop growth and development in the long run. In addition, soil exposed to bush burning is easily prone to soil erosion and degradation, affecting the long term soil fertility and nutrients retention due to the weak structure that is left behind after passing fire through it. Also, farmers will have to spend more than what they have gained to completely restore soil exposed to bush burning to its former state or form that can support plant growth. These and many other disadvantages make bush burning a bad practice that should be abolished totally.
Consequently, there is a need to create more awareness at the village level on the negative impacts of bush burning through practical demonstrations and enlightenment sessions that help the people to reflect and understand the consequences of their action on their livelihood and the environment. Furthermore , we need more alternatives (especially providing subsidized mechanized equipment for land clearing) to bush burning that are cost effective and readily available. Also, we need more enforcement by the government at the village level because such a practice cannot be stop-just-like without a push-back. This can be achieved through introduction of fines to erring farmers, with other punitive measures.
In conclusion, bush burning should never be condoned in our communities again and should never be an appealing practice to our farmers again because of its long term negative impacts on our people, land and livelihood. When we burn the bush, we burn our land to become less productive, we burn our livelihood, we burn other assets in our soil and we burn our hope of achieving food security. Should we continue to set fire on the bush? No, we all need to rise up against this practice and put an end to it before it ends us completely. Let us stop burning our food and our future!
Yours-in-Service
Babatunde
Consequently, there is a need to create more awareness at the village level on the negative impacts of bush burning through practical demonstrations and enlightenment sessions that help the people to reflect and understand the consequences of their action on their livelihood and the environment. Furthermore , we need more alternatives (especially providing subsidized mechanized equipment for land clearing) to bush burning that are cost effective and readily available. Also, we need more enforcement by the government at the village level because such a practice cannot be stop-just-like without a push-back. This can be achieved through introduction of fines to erring farmers, with other punitive measures.
In conclusion, bush burning should never be condoned in our communities again and should never be an appealing practice to our farmers again because of its long term negative impacts on our people, land and livelihood. When we burn the bush, we burn our land to become less productive, we burn our livelihood, we burn other assets in our soil and we burn our hope of achieving food security. Should we continue to set fire on the bush? No, we all need to rise up against this practice and put an end to it before it ends us completely. Let us stop burning our food and our future!
Yours-in-Service
Babatunde
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