Climate change strategies for rural communities take tentative first steps
Ecosystem-based adaptation strategies for rural communities in the face of climate, started last week with an inception workshop organised in Otjiwarongo by the Environmental Investment Fund of Namibia (EIF).
The fund has received a grant for the project “Building resilience of communities living in landscapes threatened under climate change through an ecosystem-based adaptation approach in Namibia.”
The project’s overall objective is to increase climate change resilience of productive landscapes by implementing adaptations to strengthen social and ecological systems to sustain livelihoods at community and household level. The projects also looks at establishing value chain that will support the main objective.
At the opening of the workshop, Otjozondjupa Governor, Hon James Uerikua said “Ecosystem-based adaptation remains a pivotal topic and is by definition a nature-based method for climate change adaptation that can offer cost savings compared with other approaches, as well as additional benefits, such as the provision of wild foods, carbon sequestration and biodiversity conservation.”
The Executive Director in the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, Teofilus Nghitila said the project goals can only be achieved through institutional and capacity building which focuses on strengthening the community based organisations to function as one unit to address climate induced problems. By investing in eco enterprises and land restoration, communities are empowered through a growing rural economy.
“The project will document best practices and craft a strategy in a participatory fashion. The crafted strategy will be extensively discussed with all stakeholders and shall be domesticated to the benefit of the climatic conditions that are prevailing in our country,” said Nghitila.
Otjozondjupa Governor, Hon James Uerikua opened a workshop on Ecosystem-based adaptation strategies to help rural communities overcome the impact of climate change.
