Government prepares framework for sustainable land
management- Minister
Wulugu, (N/R), June 18, Ghanadot/GNA
- The government has initiated a Country Strategic
Investment Framework for Sustainable Land Management (GSIF)
to prevent further land degradation through out the country.
The programme, under a multi-partner initiative known as the
TerrAfrica seeks to restore and safeguard land use
productivity and also secure the ecosystem.
This would be achieved through the mainstreaming of
sustainable land management in the development framework of
Ghana at all levels, as well as improve the governance of
land management decisions and improve rural livelihoods.
Miss Sherry Ayittey, Minister for Environment, Science and
Technology announced this at the World Day to Combat
Desertification and Drought, at Wulugu in the West Mamprusi
District on Wednesday.
She said the TerrAfrica platform was also aimed at
increasing the scale, efficiency and effectiveness of
investments towards sustainable land management in
sub-Saharan Africa.
The theme for this year’s celebration was: “Sustainable Land
and Water Management for Poverty Reduction.”
Miss Ayittey said the programme was also to build the
capacity and strengthen the enabling environment around
Sustainable Land Management (SLM), while removing barriers
to scaling up the mainstreaming and financing of the
country-driven SLM.
Miss Ayittey said the Ghana Environmental Management Project
(GEMP), which is a five year Canadian funded project was
another laudable initiative designed to address land
degradation, especially at the grass-root community levels.
She said the goal of the project was to support the
government to address desertification in the three northern
regions by strengthening Ghanaian institutions, and the
rural communities to enable them adopt sustainable land
management systems, that improve food security and reduce
poverty.
Miss Ayittey said pre-implementation activities on the GEMP,
such as the Project Operational Plan (POP), Initial Project
Plan (IPP) and sensitization to create awareness among
stakeholders had been completed and the ground activities
would start next month.
She noted that gradually bushfire control and natural
resource protection were becoming an integral part of the
local culture in some communities, and assured that the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) would continue to
encourage and support efforts to improve environmental
conditions for a better future.
She announced that her Ministry would soon introduce solar
stoves to the rural communities to reduce their dependence
on fuel wood for cooking.
Mr. Jonathan Allotey, Executive Director of the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said other on-going
programmes to reverse the trend of desertification included
the implementation of the Integrated Community Livelihood
Support Programme, with support from the United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP).
He said the programme involved the planting of economic
trees, supply of improved seeds, small ruminants and guinea
fowl rearing among families.
He said the EPA had for the past two years collaborated with
six districts in the northern regions to pilot the programme
and this would be scaled up in subsequent years to include
four other districts.
Mr. Stephen Sumani Nayina, Northern Regional Minister
expressed concern about the degradation of the environment
and entreated all district assemblies in the region to enact
appropriate by-laws to regulate the cultivation of crops
close to water bodies.
He called on the people of the three regions to work
tirelessly to break the perpetuated cycle of poverty and
land degradation and seek alternative livelihoods for
natural resource dependent communities.
GNA
