Kawambwa District Commissioner, Godfrey Chilambwe has expressed concern at the increasing trend where small scale farmers in the district are turning their agricultural land into illegal mining sites.

Mr Chilambwe has expressed worry that some farmers from government designated Farming Blocks are abandoning farming and resorting to trading off and converting their farms into mining sites.

The DC noted that the trend is posing a threat to food security, environment and sustainable livelihoods for communities that largely subsist on agriculture.

ZANIS reports that Mr Chilambwe has since cautioned the farmers and urged households to sustain farming over illegal mining, warning that if the trend continues, Kawambwa district, a food basket for Luapula Province, risks becoming food insecure.

Mr Chilambwe added that the district has since been experiencing high numbers of mining accidents and fatalities as a result of rampant illegal mining activities.

“Illegal mining activities are on the rise in Kawambwa and some of our farmers are converting their farmers into mining sites with some miners claiming to have licenses to mine in areas designated for food production and this is leading to loss of farming land and harmful and unregulated extraction of minerals,” Mr Chilambwe said.

Mr Chilambwe has implored the Ministry of Mines and Minerals Development to support efforts by the Ministry of Agriculture by alleviating illegal mining activities especially from in the farming blocks reserved for agricultural production in the district.

“More needs to be done to prevent illegal mining and protect the environment and the livelihoods of local farmers while preventing the devastating effects of climate change that would result from unregulated mineral extraction,” Mr Chilambwe said