IGAD Member States Consult on Integrated Management of Natural Resources

Dec. 17, 2019 (BISHOFTU, Ethiopia): The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) this morning inaugurated a meeting with national experts and members of the IGAD Dry Land Research Forum to streamline the implementation of identified bankable projects in regards to natural resources management for livelihood enhancement in the Arid and Semi Arid Lands (ASALs) of the IGAD region.

The three-workshop draws the road map for further development and implementation of the following identified areas of interventions following various studies by IGAD and partners.

• The regional cross-border Research Project on NRM and Livelihood support in 3 cluster areas of IGAD; and
• A concept note on the Integrated Natural Resource Management (INRM) developed in collaboration with the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) and the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), which ultimately will lead to a regional project to be implemented in the respective dry land areas of the IGAD Member States.

 The major objectives are to:

• Share experiences on the Integrated NRM and environmental protection;
• Create a common understanding on the concept of the INRM initiative;
• Enrich and/or improve the draft CN in getting thematic issues for the project preparation; and
• Merge the two project proposals and propose intervention sites and implementation modalities.

 The Deputy Commissioner of the Environment, Forest and Climate Change Commission of Ethiopia, Mr. Kebede Yimam Dawd, highlighted the fact that the IGAD countries were ‘affected by similar challenges’ and needed to ‘improve the livelihoods of impoverished citizens through integrated Natural Resources Management strategies that address the root causes of degradation and its crippling effects on people’.

According to the Director of the Agriculture and Environment Division of IGAD, Mr Mohamed Moussa, ‘one of the main thrusts of IGAD is sustainable management of Natural Resources and environment protection’. He continued that these natural resources form the basis for our economic mainstay, which is mainly agriculture, both crop and livestock production’.

This workshop cum meeting is expected to yield elaborated road map that lead to the implementation of the identified projects and project idea through:

• Experience of Member states on the NRM shared among participants
• Common understanding on INRM created
• Additional issues/ideas incorporated in the CN
• One consolidated project proposal ready for resource mobilization

Applied research, technology transfer and adoption are key ingredients of the roadmap for improving productivity of degraded range and agricultural land to achieve increased food and nutrition security and improved livelihoods. The outputs of several Dry Land research initiatives within the IGAD region need to be applied and experience shared among pertinent professionals of the member states.

 The German Development Agency GIZ provided support to the workshop.