Let’s set target to build a climate resistance landscape

I WAS reading earlier this week about Nigeria planning a new project that aims to build a climate resistance landscape.

The World Bank approved a US$700 million credit facility from the International Development Association for the Nigeria Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) project.

The project will increase the implementation of sustainable landscape management practices in the north of that country and strengthen its long-term enabling environment for integrated climate-resilient landscape management.

Why can’t Zimbabwe embark on a similar project? Productivity of major crops has been steadily declining over the past two decades, in part due to climate change, forcing an expansion of the area under agriculture and increased imports to meet the food needs of the growing population.

Persistent water shortages continue to exacerbate land degradation, desertification, and habitat loss.

Resource shortages, conflict, outdated agricultural systems not adapted to changing dryland conditions, lack of access to finance, weak value chain linkages, an uncompetitive environment for agribusiness, and poor market access are other key barriers to increased agricultural productivity in Africa as a whole, Zimbabwe included in that matrix.

Better environmental and water resources management and resilience against disaster and climate risks (largely water-related) are needed to sustain economic growth and protect the most vulnerable.

In recent years, African governments have established several initiatives in the agriculture sector to combat desertification including afforestation and reforestation programs, dissemination of proven agricultural technologies and sustainable agricultural practices, and promotion of efficient energy sources.

Efforts to stop and reverse desertification are complicated by the need to feed a rapidly increasing population in a region where natural resources are dwindling and over 90% of national food production depends on smallholder farmers who lack the capacity to increase food production without degrading land.

Nigeira’s ACReSAL project is a sixyear strategic project prioritising actions within four components. It will improve the capacity of the country to adapt to a changing climate, largely through enhancing multi-sectoral convergence (across environment, agriculture and water) and technology modernisation, including improved use of data, analytics, and connectivity.