Upper East Region to benefit from climate change project
Bawku West, Talensi and Nabdam Districts in Upper East Region, are to benefit from a sustainable land management and adaptation to climate project, to improve food security, fight poverty and desertification.
The project is aimed at contributing to sustainable land management and developing the capacities on adaptation to climate change in Permanent Inter-State Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS) and ECOWAS countries geared towards attaining the Millennium Development Goals.
The five- year project estimated at 300,000 Euros and being funded by the European Union would create technical, political and strategic conditions on sustainable management and adaptation to reduce the vulnerability of the populations of West Africa to climate change.
Dr Sanou Saidou, Consultant of CILSS, made this known in Bolgatanga during a forum to validate a draft report on a Social Engineering Study conducted in the beneficiary districts.
The study indicated that the project to be implemented in 17 countries of the CILSS/ECOWAS sub-space including Ghana would ultimately benefit 25,000 most vulnerable persons including women, the youth and the private sector.
He said field operators including the technical department of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture and other farmer associations and organisations would be targeted to combat desertification, land degradation and climate change and variability.
He said at least 15,000 hectares of degradable land in the Sahel and in West Africa are expected to be restored by 2015.
This would enable average growth of 15 per cent of agro-sylvo-pastoral production.
“The organisational capacities of the states would be boosted in the coordination and implementation of the sub-regional action programme to combat desertification in West Africa.
“Knowledge on the impact of climate change in the beneficiary districts as well as best practices on sustainable land management and adaptation to climate change would be capitalised…for purposes of scaling up sustainable land management,” Dr Saidou said.
He said the study revealed that, illegal mining, soil infertility, indiscriminate bush burning, water body and river bank degradation were major setbacks in the area.
“In the Bawku West District for instance, we identified that many farmers depended on rain fed agriculture with illegal mining being a challenge in that area.
“Drought resistant seed varieties should be used and reforestation embarked on to check these challenges.”
Dr Saidou said enforcement of the buffer zone policy and continuous education on the effects of illegal mining are sure ways out in ensuring sustainable land management.
According to the draft report, the Gbeogo dam in the Bawku West District and dugouts in the Nabdam District would be rehabilitated while compost production, stone and earth bonding and agro-forestry and natural regeneration would be embarked on.
Alhaji Limuna Mohammed-Muniru, Regional Minister expressed worry about the effects of desertification, food insecurity and poverty.
He said there is the need for collaborative efforts to find solutions to these challenges.
Alhaji Mohammed-Muniru said the project had come at an opportune time as similar initiatives are ongoing in various communities within the region.
He called on CILSS to collaborate with programmes like the Ghana Environmental Management Project, the Sustainable Land and Water Management Project, the Northern Rural Growth Programme and the Ghana Social Opportunities Project in order to avoid waste of resources while maximising the expected benefits.
Source: GNA