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Farmers in Kholifa Mabang Chiefdom, in the Northern District of Tonkolili, have expressed their frustration over disruption of their farming activities in their Chiefdom due to cattle destroying their plantations.
Kholifa Mabang, with a population of approximately 17,000 inhabitants, is one of the smallest chiefdoms in the country, and most of the residents are farmers who depend on subsistence agriculture to feed themselves and their dependents.
Known for its vast natural endowments of fertile and productive tropical lands that are suitable for large-scale agriculture, cattle rearing has hindered the progress of agriculture in the area.
“Our farms with a variety of crops have been destroyed by the cattle. We’re complementing the efforts of the government in promoting food security and sufficiency, but it seems that dream is being deterred by cattle owners and rearers. Because we are going through hell living in an economically challenging nation like ours to make farms only to be destroyed by cattle,” Ya Iye Sankoh, an aged woman in Mabaimbay village cried.
The farmers said certain individuals in the community would just wake up one morning and negotiate with cattle owners and rearers without the knowledge of the entire community and farmers.
“One morning, one would just wake up and see several cows in a hundred in our lands destroying our plantations, and this will soon ignite chaos because we’re poor farmers who depend on our farming. We won’t continue to sit by seeing certain individuals destroying our lives,” Brima Gbla, a farmer said
To ascertain extent of the damage and threats cattle pose in the Chiefdom, a recent visit by stakeholders revealed a plethora of farms and agricultural sites in different communities hosted hundreds of cows in various farms. The cattle were also seen chewing and destroying cassava and its leaves in various farms around a place called Malompo.
With such huge damage, residents and farmers said they couldn’t bear it anymore. “We’re calling on authorities concerned to act immediately,” Pa Alimamy Sankoh, an elderly farmer said.
Recently, Kholifa Mabang Regent Chief, Sallieu Kargbo urged farmers to remain calm as he looked into the issue. Kargbo said there are laws passed on how cattle settlement should be done to avert conflicts in communities, and he assured the farmers he would call both parties to settle the impasse.
Chernor Jalloh, a cattle rearer admitted that their cattle have and are still destroying farms but he said they pay damages whenever farmers bring to their notice damages caused by their animals.
Jalloh said they are passing fences to prevent cows from entering the farms.
Currently, hundreds of farmlands with different crops have reportedly been destroyed by cattle in the chiefdom, and this development has affected several farmers.
