Network building, Knowledge sharing can help combat drought, desertification – Stakeholders

Stakeholders in the environment sector have said network building, access to funding among others, can reduce the menace of drought and  desertification in Nigeria. HELEN OJI reports.

Persistent droughts

The  Federal Ministry of Environment in collaboration with the Department of Drought and Desertification Amelioration, organised a workshop with the theme ‘African initiative for combating desertification to strengthen resilience to climate change in the Sahel and the horn of Africa’. The Sahel and the horn of Africa regions face mounting development challenges and the major part of the region is desert or dry lands most of it are degraded. The region has also been affected by frequent and severe droughts in recent years.

The recent climate change is likely to make desertification even worse. As people on a low income in the region heavily depend on natural resources. Persistent drought has further worsened their livelihood condition. Desertification is one of the causes of poverty in the 11 frontline states as many people in the area affected cannot afford adequate livelihood to meet basic needs. Other consequences of desertification include, resource use conflicts,  loss of farmlands, roads, homes, water bodies and villages. The shrinking of the Lake Chad and other water bodies in the country can be attributed to climate change and desertification.

Loss of 351,000 hectares

Addressing desertification properly and strengthening resilience to climate change are keys to helping nations of the region achieve sustainable development while contributing to peace and stability in the region and the globe. The 2030 agenda for sustainable development pledge that no one will be left behind and cannot be achieved without the sustainable growth of the region.

Despite its importance and urgency, the issues of drought and desertification have not been given sufficient international attention in spite of their importance and urgency,  and adequate finance for addressing those issues has not been mobilized.

Desertification is by far the most difficult environmental problem in the dry regions of the world.

In Nigeria, it remains a major challenge to national development in the northern fringes of the nation. The problem continues to degrade land resources which provide livelihood to majority of the rural populace with its ugly consequences of resource use conflict, hunger, social vices and abject poverty in the affected areas. It has been estimated that between 35 to 50% of the frontline areas, inciting 10-15% of the buffer areas, are threatened by the processes of desertification, leading to a loss of about 351,000 hectares of the nation’s landmass to desert-like conditions annually. Meeting the present and future energy, water, food and other needs of the people in these areas represent a formidable challenge.

Addressing the menace

According to Chief Representative of Japan International Cooperation Agency, (JICA), Okumura Makiko, the workshop is aimed to promote the country’s multi stakeholder action plan and preparing funding proposals to implement the action plan.

She said it will provide invaluable opportunities for all of us here present to share experiences, knowledge and ideas to combat desertification with colleagues.

Minister of Environment, Surv Suleiman Hassan Zarma, said the government efforts to tackle the twin problem of drought and desertification in the northern parts of the country had embarked on several sectoral programmes ranging from mass afforestation and reforestation, including shelter belt development, water resources management and targeted agricultural programmes, and provision of critical infrastructures to improve the well being of the affected people as well as reduce their vulnerability to harsh and extreme climate conditions.

He said the concern for global sustainable development motivated countries around the world to make country level commitment to ecosystem based assessment and management practices in support of chapter 17 of the agenda 21 of the United Nations Conference on environment and development (UNCED) commonly known as ‘Earth Summit’ in 1992.

However, combating desertification involves integrated development of land with the aim of preventing land degradation, rehabilitating partly degraded land and reclaiming desertified land. “Government recognises the importance of partnership in tackling the Hydra headed problem of desertification and the Project is aims at providing long-term solutions to desertification, land degradation, drought, climate change and biodiversity loss within the west African sub-region, adopts integrated soil and land management approach in its operation,” he explained.

” Government will continue to support this initiative and other initiatives including the African Initiative to Combat Desertification (AI-CD), the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC), the African Ministerial Council on Environment (AMCEN) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

According to him, government has put in place the North East Development commission to restore human dignity and bring succor to the people living in this area and is also committed in strengthening the Lake Chad Basin commission and reposition it for better service delivery to those who depend on the lake for their livelihood.

Promoting access to funding

Also, Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Environment, Mrs Ibukun Odusote explained that promoting the activities of AI-CD which consists of network building, Knowledge sharing and promoting access to funding for combating desertification in Nigeria. The extent of desertification and land degradation as well as the enormous resources required to tackle these environmental challenges nationwide cannot be over emphasized.

She said the Nigerian government has made tremendous efforts toward checking the menace of desertification, through development of a national policy on desertification and drought mitigation and the implementation of a number of projects aimed at combating desertification such as sand dune stabilised, development of shelter belt and wind brakes, development of rangelands, woodlot establishment and more recently the Great Green Wall initiative which involves planting of trees from the west coast of the Sahara desert to the East Coast to stop the southward movement of the desert and make it more productive.

The government through commitment of financial and material resources at all levels to combat desertification and amelioration the effects of drought, little significant positive result have been achieved. This is due to the magnitude the challenge and huge financial requirements including lack of synergy among stakeholders, networking and knowledge sharing, policy inconsistency as well as lack of Incentive for private involvement and funding constraints.

She stressed that the goals should always take into account sound ecosystem restoration initiatives, food security mechanism and livelihood activities fundamental to the survival of our people and communities in the affected areas and beyond.

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