Kunene gets early warning system training

A PROJECT on Improving Rangeland and Ecosystem Management Practices of Small-holder Farmers (Irema) under climate-change conditions in the Kunene region recently hosted community-based early warning system training at Khorixas.

Irema is funded by the Green Climate Fund (GCF) through the Environmental Investment Fund (EIF) of Namibia.

The project is jointly implemented by the EIF and the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform.

The training was conducted on 24 and 25 January.

The Kunene region is one of the regions which are most vulnerable to severe climate-related shocks, such as recurrent droughts.

Over the past decade, small-scale farmers in the region have endured prolonged drought and floods, which have led to the loss of their primary income source.

Speaking at the training, EIF spokesperson Lot Ndamanomhata said to be prepared for looming adversities brought about by climate change there is a need to shift from being reactive to becoming more proactive.

He said although it is not possible to predict what the climate would be like in future, it is of the utmost importance to explore and utilise relevant tools that would enable communities in the region to capture and disseminate accurate information to manage extreme climate risks.

Ndamanomhata said a well-functioning early warning system is an adaptive measure for climate change, which uses integrated communication systems to help vulnerable communities prepare for hazardous climate-related shocks.

“Such a system comes with wide-ranging benefits, such as saving lives and livelihoods, safeguarding productive land and infrastructure, and supporting long-term sustainability,” he said.

The system, Ndamanomhata said, will alert communities under threat of imminent disaster to undertake proactive action built upon various early warning components.

The components are hazard detection, monitoring and forecasting, analysing risks and incorporating risk information in emergency planning and warning, disseminating timely and authoritative warnings, and community planning and preparedness.

The training, he added, would not only assist communities and public institutions in their planning, but would also help preserve essential financial resources in the long run, thereby protecting the local and national economy.

About 50 people from the region received training.

Charlie Mwaetako, the chief scientific officer in the ministry in the Kunene region, said the training presents communities with the opportunity to be trained on how to implement and maintain an effective early warning system, with the objective of strengthening the resilience of local agricultural systems for enhancing food and nutrition security in the Kunene region.

More specifically, the Irema project, which is only implemented in the Kunene region, is expected to promote investment in integrated drought early warning systems and improve existing ones, to strengthen and improve the capacity of key stakeholders in drought-risk management at regional, national and local level, as well as to support communities to undertake innovative action to reinforce their resilience to drought.