The Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, MESTI, has proposed an integrated landscape approach that requires the protection and restoration in the productive use of land resources.
The approach, it said provides a collaborative and efficient means to implement the Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs, so as to reach the shared global vision of enhancing the total wellbeing of all citizens worldwide.
The Sector Minister, Mahama Ayariga said this in a speech read for him at the 7th National Desertification Forum held in Bolgatanga.
According to him, global effort at achieving land degradation neutrality calls for strong stakeholder collaboration since the recovery of degraded agricultural lands has direct effect on poverty reduction and poor communities.
The celebration of the World Day to combat Desertification and Drought is focused on the theme: ' Inclusive Coorporation for Achieving Land Degradation Neutrality".
An estimated 25 percent of the global land surface is said to be degraded.
Land degradation has become a global phenomenon leading to a significant reduction and loss of biological and economic productive capacity of lands.
Globally, 800 million people are chronically malnourished as a direct consequence of land degradation, declining soil fertility as well as inefficiencies in sustainable water use.
All these are caused by human activities exacerbated by natural processes and climate change.
In the Northern, Upper East and Upper West Regions, more than 60 percent of agricultural land is severely degraded with thousand hectares lost to land degradation each year.
Due to the impact of climate change, some transition areas of the country are gradually turning into Savannah zones despite increased awareness and capacities. The trend has adversely increased the vulnerability of the rural poor and deprived communities.
It is for this reason that the MESTI saw it expedient to host this year’s World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought in the Upper East Region.
The ultimate goal was to build synergies and provide the platform for stakeholders to deliberate on the way forward in curtailing land degradation and climate change .
In an address on behalf of the Sector Minister, the Director of Environment at the ministry, Fredua Agyeman proposed long term solutions in mitigating the impact of climate change and its associated challenges. He underscored the need to deepen awareness and ensure effective stakeholder collaboration to achieving Land Degradation Neutrality, LDN.
Touching on the global slogan of the event: "Protect Earth, Restore Land, Engage People", the Upper East Regional Minister, Albert Abongo expressed government's commitment to efforts at achieving LDN as a way of contributing to item 13 of the universal sustainable development goals.
He bemoaned bad agriculture practices, constant tree felling and activities of galamsey operations in parts of Northern Ghana and implored chiefs and other traditional leaders to lead the crusade in restoring the country's lost vegetation cover.
Series of presentations at the event reinforced the need to increase investment in sustainable land management to benefit from high soil carbon storage potentials in a quest to providing enough food to feed the growing population.
The presentations further stressed on the need for stakeholders to pursue sustainable land management programs as an integral component of climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies.
Attended by some key stakeholders, the day was marked with series of outreach activities including a durbar and a tree planting exercise at Bongo.
GBC
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