Are we in any way happy about the great toll illegal mining is having on agriculture?
The exploitation of natural resources, such as gold, diamond, and bauxite has had a great toll on agriculture and the sustainability of food. Globally, agriculture is threatened by its existence due to some challenges posed by human activities. These activities have attracted the masses and some concerned citizens of various nations experiencing this challenge. It must be realized that these activities do not harm the existence of agriculture, but pose a threat to mankind’s existence. This is because man relies on agriculture to survive thus making agriculture thrive automatically means that man will survive on the planet ‘Earth’. In this segment of today’s article, illegal mining will be looked at and the effects it has on agriculture.
Illegal mining, popularly known as ‘galamsey’ can be said to be the exploration of mineral resources without permits and using non-authorized means in exploiting the resources embedded in the land. Directly and indirectly, these activities which are illegal and not recognized by the State endanger and put agriculture at a threat.
Illegal mining contributes to the poor fertility of the soil. When the illegal miners go to the site, their activities like digging out the soil by the use of excavators and other types of machinery remove or take off the fertility of the soil. In this sense, the land turns into a non-arable land fostering the inhibition of supporting the growth of plants. The question to be asked is “How do we feel when an arable farmland is turned into a non-arable farmland over a short period of time?” Mankind will face the challenge of bringing back the land to its previous state, but this will be difficult and will take a long period of time before it gets back to its state. Sometimes, the land is lost completely due to the depth of the pit.
When illegal mining becomes the order of the day, there is limited access to land which can be used for agriculture activities. Illegal mining takes huge portions of land and leaves the soil unproductive for some time. This makes it difficult for farmers to access acres of land for crop production. The fact is that these useful lands are destroyed. Some are left with sinkholes and will be difficult to support crop production.
Contamination of water bodies and surface water is also witnessed during illegal mining. Some of these illegal miners in Africa especially, mine in water bodies goes a long way in polluting the water. The miners use dangerous chemicals which are poisonous for human consumption. Aside from making the water bodies dangerous for human consumption, these chemicals are not suitable for watering crops through irrigation methods or other methods. Crops are starved of water due to the unavailability of safe water to give the crops the right nutrients needed for crop production. In Ghana, for instance, River Tano and Ankobra have been highly polluted and are serving as a threat to the thriving of agriculture in these areas.
This situation has become a persistent attack on the survival of agriculture. The Government and the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources should persistently and continuously initiate and implement policies that will deter illegal mining. If this is not given the needed attention, our water bodies and lands will no longer support the growth of plants.
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