New Era

OMATJETE – Last Thursday Namibia joined the world in commemorating World Day to Combat Desertification. The day was observed at Omatjete village in the Erongo Region, under the theme, ‘Improving soils improves food quality and quantity’. It marked the anniversary of the adoption of the UN convention on combating desertification, reports Alvine Kapitako.

Farmers and villagers in Omatjete and its surroundings gathered at the Omatjete Community Hall to commemorate World Day to Combat Desertification.

The day has been commemorated since 1995, as part of the international campaign by the United Nations (UN) to tackle global environmental deterioration, in particular the degradation of dry lands.

The message was clear: land degradation is an issue that needs urgent attention, and sustainable land management is important if desertification and loss of biodiversity are to be halted.

Governor of Erongo Region, Samuel Nuuyoma, said desertification in Namibia has already exhibited negative manifestations, adding that it is becoming increasingly evident the country’s land can no longer cope with fodder demands for livestock.

“Being highly dependent on agriculture and more so on live-stock farming, there is a special need for us to prepare remedies that will recover the productive capacity of our land. If not, at least develop coping mechanisms that will ensure a sustainable livelihood under prevailing conditions,” he said.

The governor said desertification causes loss of biodiversity through habitat degradation and a reduction of ecosystem productivity.

“If humans lose biodiversity or the different living organisms in their surroundings, they, too, lose their means of livelihood.

“Likewise, the loss of biodiversity undermines the health of dry land ecosystems and makes them more vulnerable to desertification. As such, addressing desertification and associated biodiversity loss is of critical importance, if we are to secure our common future,” he said.

Speaking at the same occasion, Regional Councillor of Daures Constituency in the Erongo Region, Abius Auchab, said the ability to formulate strategies to combat desertification and commemorate the day in unison reflects a commitment to meet challenges and basic development needs in land management.

It is only through a unified platform, he said, that the challenges of our times can be fully planned and addressed, adding that access to land determines access to food.

Speaking from the same platform, Chief Agricultural Extension Officer for Omaruru, Rainer Burger, said World Day to Combat Desertification is an event through which communities and citizens express their support and desire for an improved environment through action on the ground.

According to Burger, scarce productive land and fragile soils, coupled with limited water resources and erratic rainfall, are the principal features of Namibia’s agriculture.

This, he said, does not only affect biodiversity, but also threatens the food security of humans and animals by destroying important natural resources.

Reliable crop production under rain-fed conditions, he said, is only possible in areas that receive an average of over 400 mm annually. This represents 34 per cent of the country.

“The scarcity of productive soils limits crop production,” said Burger.

Governor Nuuyoma said up to 80 per cent of the population of his region live in urban areas, with 20 per cent living in rural areas, adding that it is not “customary”.

“As history teaches us, there was only rural. That is where we made our living from using only land and natural resources,” he said.

Food security, he said, is threatened by desertification and biodiversity loss everywhere in the world. “We are concerned that information and knowledge on desertification is shared with all at all levels,” Nuuyoma said.

In as much as natural phenomena, such as climate change, are contributing to desertification, it was pointed out that human activities also contribute to desertification and loss of biodiversity.

Thus, farmers and villagers were urged to reconsider their agricultural practices and the management of their resources.

Part of the commemoration included visiting nearby farms, where farmers and those in attendance were treated to an information session on best practices to sustainably manage land and resources.

What was worth noting was that those in attendance, particularly farmers, were enthusiastic about reconsidering their practices to preserve and manage land more effectively.

Most farmers in Omatjete rely on livestock farming for their survival and in most cases grazing and water resources are limited.

Protective vegetative ground cover is poor and results in loss of topsoil and underground water storage. The area is remote and semi-arid.

The event was organised by Country Pilot Partnership Namibia under the Ministry of Environment and Tourism.

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