COP15 focuses on strengthening land restoration
One of the most arid countries in Africa
Land degradation and desertification, compounded by climate change, are a matter of serious concern for Namibia.
A third of Namibia’s land surface is desert, and it is one of the most arid sub-Saharan countries, with 92% of its land mass considered semi-arid, arid or hyper-arid.
President Hage Geingob said this at the 15th session of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification Conference of Parties (COP15) held in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.
He was speaking during the Summit of Heads of State and Government on desertification, drought and sustainable land management.
Geingob said this imposes a huge responsibility on Namibians to promote policies that focus on combating desertification through the promotion of Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) targets as part of the sustainable agriculture and food security strategy.
Drought
“Regrettably, over the past six years, we have experienced three devastating droughts, of which one has been recorded to be the most severe in the past 100 years.
“Since independence in 1990, Namibia experienced at least 12 years in which half of the country received below-average rainfall, resulting in droughts and land degradation.”
Geingob said that during these years a large number of farmers lost their livestock and experienced poor crop harvests.
He therefore stressed that land degradation and desertification, which are further compounded by climate change, is a matter of serious concern.
“This 15th Conference of Parties (COP15) in Africa, a continent which is disproportionately affected by climate change, gives us an excellent opportunity to benchmark our national measures against best practice and to find innovative solutions on desertification and land degradation.”
He added that the summit will enable them to further strengthen their land restoration initiatives and sustainable land management frameworks.
Geingob further said that the government set up structures and measures in ministries involved with sustainable land management to assist in combatting and minimising the impacts of drought.
“In this regard, our National Drought Scheme Programme assists livestock and crop farmers with the provision of marketing incentives, fodder, free seed, fertiliser and water to affected and vulnerable communities.”
He added that the government, higher education institutions and individuals are undertaking research on how to restore and manage degraded land sustainably through diversification strategies.
“We are convinced that more can be done. In that vein, in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, we are working hard to scale-up community resilience to climate variability to address land degradation, desertification and climate change.”
President Hage Geingob said this at the 15th session of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification Conference of Parties (COP15) held in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.
He was speaking during the Summit of Heads of State and Government on desertification, drought and sustainable land management.
Geingob said this imposes a huge responsibility on Namibians to promote policies that focus on combating desertification through the promotion of Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) targets as part of the sustainable agriculture and food security strategy.
Drought
“Regrettably, over the past six years, we have experienced three devastating droughts, of which one has been recorded to be the most severe in the past 100 years.
“Since independence in 1990, Namibia experienced at least 12 years in which half of the country received below-average rainfall, resulting in droughts and land degradation.”
Geingob said that during these years a large number of farmers lost their livestock and experienced poor crop harvests.
He therefore stressed that land degradation and desertification, which are further compounded by climate change, is a matter of serious concern.
“This 15th Conference of Parties (COP15) in Africa, a continent which is disproportionately affected by climate change, gives us an excellent opportunity to benchmark our national measures against best practice and to find innovative solutions on desertification and land degradation.”
He added that the summit will enable them to further strengthen their land restoration initiatives and sustainable land management frameworks.
Geingob further said that the government set up structures and measures in ministries involved with sustainable land management to assist in combatting and minimising the impacts of drought.
“In this regard, our National Drought Scheme Programme assists livestock and crop farmers with the provision of marketing incentives, fodder, free seed, fertiliser and water to affected and vulnerable communities.”
He added that the government, higher education institutions and individuals are undertaking research on how to restore and manage degraded land sustainably through diversification strategies.
“We are convinced that more can be done. In that vein, in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, we are working hard to scale-up community resilience to climate variability to address land degradation, desertification and climate change.”
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