Africa-Press – Namibia. THE food security and habitat protection project in the Kavango-Zambezi Transfontier Conservation Area (Kaza), which is aimed at supporting communities in Zimbabwe, Zambia and Namibia, was yesterday successfully launched in the Zambezi region.
It was launched under the theme ‘Kaza Arise’, and is expected to bring stakeholders together to promote agro-ecological approaches and livestock production.
The project is funded by the German federal ministry of economic cooperation and development (BMZ) through the Bemgo Engagement Global programme. It will be implemented by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Germany together with in-country partners.
As such, in Namibia, this joint project is being implemented by the Namibia Nature Foundation in cooperation with the Integrated Rural Development and Nature Conservation.
Zambezi regional governor Lawrence Sampofu, who launched the project, said the initiative will help to maintain the diverse ecosystems in Kaza and strengthen its capacity to adapt to climate change.
He praised Zambia, saying the country has already raised the bar when it comes to people benefiting from conservation agriculture in southern Africa, which includes 3 000 farmers in the Sesheke district alone.
“It is an honour to be collaborating with partners such as them in the Kaza region, in order for us to exchange experience-based information sharing on sustainable agriculture,” he said.
Sampofu said the Namibian government intends to take full advantage of the development cooperation opportunities and benefits in the agriculture sector offered by international cooperation agreements, as well as to ensure compliance to agriculture-related international commitments.
“As part of the Namibian agriculture policy, the government has further set objectives to capacitate farmers with the knowledge, skills and attitude necessary to improve sustainable agricultural production.
“Therefore, let us recognise the importance of strategic alliances and cooperation to strengthen agriculture, especially within rural communities, to contribute to food security for today’s generation and the future,” he said.
In a video message by the WWF, read by Brit Reichelt-Zolho, the fund said nutrition and income had been a strong focus of the BMZ over the past few years, with particular support for small-crop farms, which make up 80% of the world’s farms.
“The German government is committed to strengthening its friendship with Namibia. Since over a decade it has been supporting Kaza, the world’s largest terrestrial transfontier conservation area. Kaza’s main objective is the preservation of biodiversity which helps protect the climate and the environment.
“It is essential for both food security and for the economic, social and cultural development of the present and future generations. So you can see that the objectives of this new project are in line with these tasks, and it’s very relevant to enable its implementation,” she said.
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