‘Healthy environment vital for positive climate’
Mr Asher Nkegbe, the National Focal Person (NFP) for the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in Ghana, has observed that healthy ecosystem play vital role in increasing the agriculture sector’s resilience to shocks and climate change impact.
The UNCCD NFP who is also the Upper East Regional Director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) made the observation as one of the panelists at the just-ended Africa Climate Week held on March 18, 2019 at the Accra International Conference Centre.
The international conference which had the theme; “Stepping up action on resilient food systems and agriculture in Africa,” attracted stakeholders from Africa and other continents.
Mr Nkegbe who also presented a paper on the “Dry land perspectives from the north of Ghana, “said healthy ecosystems can help vulnerable people to adapt to climate change by reducing climate related risks and vulnerability through the continued delivery of the range of environmental services that play a significant role in maintaining agricultural livelihoods and human wellbeings.
He said northern Ghana’s economy is dominated by agriculture, employs over 80 per cent of the population and therefore the sector has serious implications for the attainment of food security, improvement in rural incomes and the overall national economy.
According to him, while sustainable agricultural production depends on productive soils, land resources in northern Ghana are being degraded as a result of annual wildfires, indiscriminate tree felling and unsustainable farming practices, among others.
“All these have led to soil erosion, reduced soil productivity, reduced crop yield, household food insecurity and prevalence of poverty,” he stressed.
Mr Nkegbe further stated that the dry lands of the country continue to experience longer dry spells in the rainy season, increased incidence of floods, long dry periods of seven months per year, average annual rainfall of 885 mm, potential evaporation of 1,652mm per annum, higher temperatures of around 44 degrees Celsius at peak levels.
According to him, meeting the future food needs of the people while reducing poverty and protecting the environment would require halting and reversing soil degradation through restorative measures of soil, water, nutrient and crop management.
Proposing the way forward to help mitigate the problem, the UNCCD National Focal Point said the Government of Ghana’s one- village one-dam concept, the Sustainable Land and Water Management Project (SLWMP) intervention, development of drought tolerant crops and use of improved crop and livestock husbandry practices, among others would help contribute immensely to building the resilience of smallholder farmers to the scourge of climate change.
He said land degradation and climate act in tandem to enhance each other’s negative impact on sustainable development and SLWMP interventions present a potential for achieving SDG1(No poverty), SDG 2 (No hunger), SDG 5 (Gender equality), SDG 13 (Climate Action) and SDG 15 (Life on Land) among others.
FROM SAMUEL AKAPULE, BOLGATANGA
