MAMAKA FARMERS DECRY DESTRUCTION OF FARM LANDS, CROP BY CATTLE

By Sorie I. Fornah

Indigenes and farmers of Mamaka village have cried out over the destruction of their farmlands and crops by cattle led by herdsmen.

Mamaka village is one of the section headquarters under Gbemdembu chiefdom in Bombali district in the northeast region of Sierra Leone. It is one of the villages with large boli and swamp lands the highest rice producers in the chiefdom.

The farmers therefore, urged the government and the relevant security agencies to prevail on herdsmen with cattle that often graze on farm crops and destroyed their farmlands in that part of the country.

The farmers, community leaders and inhabitants lamented that some of the herdsmen were unable to control their herds of cattle and as a result their crops were being ravaged.

According to aggrieved farmers, they have on several occasions appealed to the authorities concerned to intervene in the matter in order to prevent any breakdown of the law and order.

It was learnt that during the dry season when the area is not flooded, community members often engage in farming, planting crops such as cassava, water yam, potato and plantain.

But there seems to be tension in recent times between farmers and herdsmen leading their cattle to graze in the area, with community members alleging that their farmlands and crops were often destroyed in the process.

The youths who spoke to this writer drew the attention of government and security agencies to their plight, calling for urgent security measures to address the situation before it degenerated into serious chaos in the community.

They said, β€œWhat is happening now is a recipe for disaster. It is very difficult to watch your crops which are doing well being eaten up by cows during this rainy season. Imagine your one hectare of land you have managed to till at a great cost in terms of money, sweat and energy is now being devoured by some cattle.

Adding that, β€œyou go and plant water yams, cassava and plantain, by the time you realize your crops are doing well, they have been devoured by cattle. It could spark some clash someday between farmers and herdsmen.” They averred.

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