By: Annakleta Haikera
President Hage Geingob says this year’s crop yield will be very poor because many farmers lost their livestock and experienced poor crop harvests.
Geingob said this during the 15th Summit session of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (COP15) in Côte d’Ivoire. He further said that over the past six years, Namibia experienced three devastating droughts, of which one has been recorded to be the most severe in the past 100 years.
COP15 brings together leaders from governments, the private sector, civil society and other key stakeholders worldwide. Drought, land restoration, land rights, gender equality and youth empowerment, are among the top items on the Conference’s agenda.
“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. In some instances, floods follow droughts, compromising food security and the livelihoods of farming communities. Therefore, land degradation and desertification, which are further compounded by climate change, are a matter of serious concern to us,” said Geingob.
According to Geingob, Namibia is a country of which around 30 per cent of the land surface is covered by desert. Namibia is also one of the most arid sub-Saharan countries, with 92 per cent of its landmass considered semi-arid, arid or hyper-arid.
“Policies that focus on combatting desertification through the promotion of Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) targets as part of our sustainable agriculture and food security strategy.”
In 2013 Namibia hosted COP11, which infused political momentum to advance drought preparedness and land restoration as essential commitments toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goal 15.3.
“Therefore, 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.”
Geingob said Namibia is in the final phase of implementing the country’s third National Action Programme to Combat Desertification, Land Degradation and Drought (2014-2024). “The 3rd National Action Programme (NAP3) recognises that Desertification, Land Degradation and Drought (DLDD) are significant threats to inclusive and equitable socio-economic development.”
“The most alarming effects of land degradation, including deforestation, the diminishing availability of flora and perennial grasses, soil erosion, water scarcity and bush encroachment, undermine the functional integrity of our dryland ecosystems.”
He said higher education institutions and individuals will be researching how to restore and manage degraded land through diversification strategies sustainably.
