Effective land-use helps to fight hunger and poverty - Zuma
Speaking in the Eastern Cape's Butterworth, where he handed over tractors and cattle to local community projects, as part of the Masibambisane Rural Development Initiative (MRDI) project, President Jacob Zuma encouraged communities to use land more effectively to fight hunger and poverty, the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) reports.
MRDI aims to equip communities in the rural areas to develop themselves, especially in the area of agriculture. Having started in Nkandla and Eshowe in KwaZulu-Natal, the MRDI is chaired by Zuma in his capacity as a community member and was successfully launched in the Eastern Cape in Qumbu in November last year. Government has since become a partner of the initiative with ministers pledging their support to the programme.
"It is very important because it is when we work the land that we can quickly change the quality of life for our people," Zuma said. "If we are sitting doing nothing, the change will take longer and one of the important things we have to do is to work on the land. It's one of the fundamental things we have to achieve." Through various initiatives, he noted, government has been assisting communities with agricultural implements to grow food for local markets, the GCIS says.
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