MARRAKECH, Morocco (PAMACC New) – African agriculture ministers will be meeting on 29-30 September in Morocco to lobby for agriculture issues to be at the heart of the upcoming climate change meeting.
If it comes to pass, COP22 will become the first meeting of its kind where agriculture is proactively involved in climate negotiations. Previously, environmentalists have always agreed that agriculture is important both in emitting greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, despite of it being the ain area for adaptation especially in the developing world.
Recommendations made following such discussions have always been imposed on the agricultural sector to implement, without actively involving the stakeholders in the negotiation process.
Led by the minister for agriculture and marine fisheries in Morocco, the more than 27 agriculture ministers from Africa will be pushing to have a share of the proposed $100 billion climate fund to go towards agriculture adaptation by 2020.
“The initiative for the Adaptation of African Agriculture (AAA) to climate change aims to award a substantial share of the climate funds, which developed countries committed to provide to developing countries within the framework of the COP21 negotiations in Paris last year,” said Aziz Akhannorch, the Moroccan Minister of Agriculture and Maritime Fisheries.
According to the minister, the initiative also aims to promote and foster the implementation of specific projects to improve soil management, agricultural water control, and climate risk management.
The AAA initiative was launched in April 2016 with an aim of reducing African agriculture vulnerability to climate change.
Currently, there is a delegation visiting different African countries to popularise and make the initiative a solution from Africa, and for Africa.
Road map to COP22 and beyond
The AAA initiative has four targets namely, soil management, farming water management, climate risks management and agriculture financing.
“A continent long neglected, Africa can no longer be ignored. The era during which our Continent was treated as a mere object in international relations is over. Africa is progressing and is asserting itself in the international arena,” said Akhannorch.
The legislator said that time has come to place the adaptation of African agriculture at the heart of COP's challenges, and obtain an equitable distribution of climate funds between adaptation and mitigation.
“We will defend the position of our Continent, which is greatly affected by climate change and sustainable development issues in the Conference of Parties 22 climate change negotiations,” said Akhannorch.
Response to climate change and food security
Africa is only responsible for 4 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions yet 65 percent of its population is greatly affected.
According to the 2014 Climate Change Vulnerability Index, the most at risk countries are in Africa and Asia, with six of the ten most affected countries being from Africa.
Some of the countries include Bangladesh, Guinea Bissau, Sierra Leone, Haiti, South Sudan, Nigeria, DR Congo, Cambodia, Philippines and Ethiopia which was added in the list last year due to its vulnerability to drought, crop failure and famine.
The indicator further states that the greatest increase in risk levels are felt in West Africa and the Sahel, whose political terrain is already dominated by food insecurity issues.
Projections up to 2040 indicate a 2 degree rise in average temperatures combined with substantial changes in rainfall and humidity.
Africa already has over 10 million climate refugees due to a decrease in agriculture yields which could reach 20 percent by 2050 even if global warming is limited to 2 degrees celsius. This is despite the fact that 65 percent of the world's unused arable land is in Africa.
Climate change experts say that with a population that could double by 2050 and two thirds of the world arable lands, Africa should get committed to tackling food security challenge combining sustainability and efficiency.
The Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) has been elected as an observer organisation to the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF), on behalf of all African Civil Society Organisation (CSO) for the next two years.
Through the Secretary General Mithika Mwenda, PACJA will represent the interests and concerns of CSOs in the African region with regard to FCPF, which is a global partnership of governments, businesses, civil society, and Indigenous People who are focused on reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, forest carbon stock conservation, the sustainable management of forests, and the enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries (activities commonly referred to as REDD+).
The FCPF is also made up of two funds, the Readiness Fund and the Carbon Fund, and their governance bodies. The former supports national REDD+ readiness activities while the latter advances programming and payments for quantified emissions reductions from REDD+ countries.
The Carbon Fund Meetings of the Carbon Fund Participants are usually open to participation by observers.
As a result, Mithika will be expected to attend approximately one FPCF Participant Committee (PC) meeting in 2016, two PC meetings in 2017, and one PC meeting in 2018 representing PACJA, while tabling concerns and interests of African CSOs.
At the same time, the observer will be responsible for disseminating FCPF and REDD related documents of interest; circulating information regarding upcoming meetings of the FCPF beforehand, noting items of potential interest and gathering views of constituents on issues included in the agenda (especially views from civil society in countries with agenda items in the FCPF meetings); and providing a report back regarding what happened at FCPF meetings afterwards.
Following the selection process, PACJA received the highest number of votes that any other candidate, and as well attained satisfactory regional balance in accordance with process guidelines established by the advisory committee of FCPF.
PACJA identified Mithika as the Primary Observer and Augustine Njamnshi as the Alternate.
The organisation is a continental coalition of CSOs, which is a platform in climate change and sustainable development, with a membership of more than 1000 organisations and networks in 45 African Countries.
The Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) has been elected as an observer organisation to the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF), on behalf of all African Civil Society Organisation (CSO) for the next two years.
Through the Secretary General Mithika Mwenda, PACJA will represent the interests and concerns of CSOs in the African region with regard to FCPF, which is a global partnership of governments, businesses, civil society, and Indigenous People who are focused on reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, forest carbon stock conservation, the sustainable management of forests, and the enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries (activities commonly referred to as REDD+).
The FCPF is also made up of two funds, the Readiness Fund and the Carbon Fund, and their governance bodies. The former supports national REDD+ readiness activities while the latter advances programming and payments for quantified emissions reductions from REDD+ countries.
The Carbon Fund Meetings of the Carbon Fund Participants are usually open to participation by observers.
As a result, Mithika will be expected to attend approximately one FPCF Participant Committee (PC) meeting in 2016, two PC meetings in 2017, and one PC meeting in 2018 representing PACJA, while tabling concerns and interests of African CSOs.
At the same time, the observer will be responsible for disseminating FCPF and REDD related documents of interest; circulating information regarding upcoming meetings of the FCPF beforehand, noting items of potential interest and gathering views of constituents on issues included in the agenda (especially views from civil society in countries with agenda items in the FCPF meetings); and providing a report back regarding what happened at FCPF meetings afterwards.
Following the selection process, PACJA received the highest number of votes that any other candidate, and as well attained satisfactory regional balance in accordance with process guidelines established by the advisory committee of FCPF.
PACJA identified Mithika as the Primary Observer and Augustine Njamnshi as the Alternate.
The organisation is a continental coalition of CSOs, which is a platform in climate change and sustainable development, with a membership of more than 1000 organisations and networks in 45 African Countries.
13 year old Joshua Ushie lives in Ikeja layout community, Beten, Bekwarra Local Government Area in Cross River State in Northern Nigeria.
His community is one of those triggered and declared open defecation- free by Concern Universal, an NGO implementing agency of the Rural Sanitation and Hygiene Promotion in Nigeria (RUSHPIN) Programme in Benue and Cross River states.
Ushie and his friends have seen the benefit of not defecating in the bushes, rivers and other public places, they are aware of handwashing with water and soap or ash at critical times.
As a curious reporter on a field visit to RUSHPIN Project sites, I tested their knowledge on such issues.
I asked Ushie if I could use his parents' toilet, he responded in the affirmative, yes ma.
"We don't 'shit' in the open here, our community have been taught on why we should build our toilets, if you are caught doing it in public, there is a fine for that offense."
"In this community, if anybody is caught defecating in the bush, the person will pay fine, crate of beer, goats etc, if the person refuses, he is arrested."
Ushie said most of the children who previously died and fell sick often due to faecal-oral disease transmission were no longer experiencing such.
Corroborating this fact, the Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Coordinator, Bekwarra LGA, Mr Godwin Aghwanya, said the WASH Community Group raise money though a cooperative account to give loans to those who can't afford them to build toilets.
He said this was also done to make the community members convert their toilets from pit latrines to pour-flush types, towards moving up the sanitation ladder.
At a visit to Otuche community in Yala Local Government Area, there was an obvious stench of human faeces permeating the environment.
Around the houses, we could see flies perching on freshly done faeces, creating an atmosphere of poor Hygiene and sanitation.
The Village Head, Godwin Ogar, was educated on the importance of building and using toilets and also in stopping open defecation.
Ogar said before the coming of RUSHPIN Project, his community members defecate only in the bush, saying he would take it upon himself to encourage them to construct and use toilets.
"I will tell my people to construct and use thier toilets, because most times, they fall ill, children die anyhow.
"Some of us have dig the toilets, but I will encourage everybody to build and use theirs."
He pledged that within two months, the community would be declared open defecation free.
Ogar said the community has appointed a four-man committee to inspect houses,saying they would also serve as watchdog towards sustaining total sanitation in the vicinity.
He said there was a fine of 5, 000 naira for penalty for anyone found defecting in the open, saying this would also include the deliberate construction of tigers in such cases.
Mrs Scholastical Beshel, Hygiene Officer, WASH, Yala LGA, one of those who triggered the community was optimistic that the community would change and be committed to hygiene promotion.
She said some of them have decided to end open defecation in their area, saying they have confessed to previously digging their toilets.
"We could see shame and disgust in theirs eyes, that symbolizes that they have been triggered, they have all seen the effect of eating and drinking their shit.
"We will follow up in the village to see that what they have decided to do, will be achievable, although it's a huge task, it is doable, "Beshel said.
Mr Oliver Okon, Project Manager, RUSHPIN, said the Global Sanitation Fund (GSF), has threatened to withdraw funding from sanitation and hygiene in the country, if the Benue and Cross River governments do not pay their counterpart funds.
He said it was saddening to note that the project, which has been on for three years, has no commitment, despite several advocacy visits.
“The GSF has said that if the government of Cross River and Benue states does not pay their counterpart funding for the RUSHPIN programme,, they would withdraw funding by the end of the year.”
He further disclosed that the Federal Government would be leading a high delegation to the two states to sensitise the state governments on the need to scale up funding for sanitation and hygiene.
Okon explained that when the FG signed the MOU with GSF in 2014, the design was for the Global body to provide $5million for the project implementation.
He said for the programme to be implemented in Benue and Cross river state, the states must commit $2.2 million each, for it to be replicated in three other local governments.
Lamenting the poor attention given to sanitation and hygiene in the country, Okon said more attention was given to water supply as against Sanitation and hygiene, adding that this trend needed to stop.
“Over the years, budget to the sanitation sub-sector has continue to dwindle adding that the government does not have a tangible funds allocated to sanitation and hygiene.”
The Project manager further lamented that the country loose $5.5billion annually to poor sanitation, adding that Nigeria is at the bottom of 25 countries in world in terms of sanitation.
Disclosing that the country ranks 5th position in Open Defecation index, he said 868,000 Nigerian children die annually as a result of open defecation and experience stunted growth.
He pointed out that the RUSHPIN project has triggered awareness in 1,028 communities out of which 823 communities in the six LGAs have been certified Open Defecation Free (ODF).
