Kaleb Nghishidivali
The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nation (FAO) started a workshop earlier today 28 February. The workshop will run for three days in Rundu, Kavango East.
The agenda of the workshop will route as a project titled ‘Integrated landscape management to reduce, reverse, and avoid further degradation and support the sustainable use of natural resources in the mopane-miombo belt of northern Namibia.’
Speaking at the opening of the event, the assistant FAO representative Ferdinard Mwapopi, said the workshop will tackle the issue of dryland sustainable landscape impact programme child project in Namibia.
Mwapopi further said the land degradation is currently wide spreading and takes various forms in the massive space occupied by Namibia.
Meanwhile, FAO has recognized the increasing need to guarantee sustainable livelihoods for those drawing benefits from the various natural resources available, especially across landscapes that are gradually under threat from land degradation brought forth by harmful natural occurrences and human induced causes such as climate change, deforestation as a result of poor farming and other unsustainable land use practices, pollution and wildfires.
“The Dryland Sustainable Landscapes Impact Program (DSL-IP) Programme, globally led by FAO, with funding support from the Global Environment Facility (GEF), aims to reverse land degradation and ensure sustainable use of natural resources in the dryland countries such as Namibia with the ultimate aim to achieve Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN),” said Mwapopi.
He further indicated that due to the ever-increasing population this requires healthy land resources and flourishing ecosystems to ensure amongst others, food security for vulnerable communities that are most at risk of suffering from the adverse effects of a poorly managed environment.
The project aims to safeguard the maintenances of many Namibians living in the three targeted landscapes such Omusati, Oshikoto and Kavango East regions.
He urged the stakeholders and project team to understand and take ownership of the project’s goals and objectives.
He emphasised that FAO indorse commitment to support the government to figure more sustainable future for all.
Photo contributed.
