Media Release
PROJECT HANDOVER OTJIMBOYO RESILIENCE HORTICULTURAL PROJECT
Otjimboyo Conservancy, Daures Constituency, Erongo Region, 30th September 2022-– The Minister of Environment, Forestry and Tourism Pohamba Shifeta officiated the handover of the Otjmboyo Resilience horticultural project funded under the CBNRM EDA Project that is implemented through the Environmental investment Fund of Namibia.
Delivering the Welcoming remarks was Mr. Theofelius Iyambo Naruseb, Chairperson of the Otjimboyo Conservacy who highlighted the history of the conservancy and indicted that the conservancy resilience horticultural project was set up for address issues of food security in their community to avoid depending on handouts from government and also ensuring water softening that will benefit not only the community but garden as well. He ended his welcoming by highlighting
“ because this is a community project and that community members must benefit, Im proud to say that we have shared fresh produce from the garden with the elderly as a way of ensuring that our members derive from the benefits of their project”.
Delivering a special statement was Mr. Benedict Libanda, Chief Executive Officer of the Environmental Investment Fund of Namibia who denoted that “We are extremely proud of the work that we are seeing here today and that this commitment of success of this project will go a long way and serving as an example to other. He further alluded that the Fund will further engage its developmental partners to see projects of this magnitude can be expanded because resilience and improved food security can greatly improve the lives of the community of the Otjimboyo conservancy. He also thanked the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism for ensuring as the national Designated Authority that they were able to access the funding that made the project possible.
Delivering the Keynote address was Hon. Pohamba Shifeta, who noted that “in order for our economy to blossom, we have to invest in small and medium scale producers especially, mobilize them to stop producing for their immediate family needs alone but make to adopt a business-like attitude to production, and view their activities as commercial ones that can substantially increase their earnings and improve their livelihoods. If this can be achieved, we shall have begun to seriously address the problem of hunger, malnutrition, poverty and food shortages in general”.
Hon. Shifeta further stated that while this project was successful implemented, it is important that the nation gauges on the issue of market access for the horticultural production, environmental sustainability and social economic development.
Hon. Shifeta concluded by stating, “let me emphasize to our farming communities to diversify their production systems and adapt to climate change. Small farmers have the potential to contribute significantly to national food security as well as national economic growth of this country. It is in our best interest to foster conservation of our natural resources through community based natural resource management system as established by the Ministry of Environment Forestry and Tourism”.
Situated in the Daures Constitutiency in the Erongo Region, the Otjimboyo Conservancy Resilience Horticultural project was funded to the cost of N$ 1 700 000,00 under the Climate Resilient Agriculture investment window under the Empower to Adapt (EDA) project, which is centred around Creating Climate Change Resilient Livelihoods through Community Based Natural Resource Management in Namibia (CBNRM EDA Project).
The project under implementation by Otjimboyo conservancy is aimed at strengthening the adaptive capacity and climate change resilience of communities in the conservancy by improving water and food security of the vulnerable communities.
The project has to date To date, a functional solar hydroponic system has been successfully established with a 76 000-liter dam constructed on site. In addition, the project has established a fertigation room, office space, storeroom, and ablution facilities on site. The project site is electrically fenced off to deter elephant destruction with 0.7 hectares greenhouse under cultivation. The project recorded its bumper harvest early this year and distributed its first harvest to the senior citizen in the conservancy. The project has also successfully retrofitted (converted) diesel pump borehole into a solar powered pumps for the village.
About EIF
The Environmental Investment Fund is Namibia’s own response to the growing global need for green financing. Established in terms of the Environmental Investment Fund Act, Act 13 of 2001 with a mandate to raise funding for investments into projects and programmes that promote sustainable development it is currently one of the fastest growing green and climate financing institutions in Africa. As part of its vision to be “a recognized leader in the development and application of innovative financing mechanisms to support sustainable development and ensuring inclusive development for all the people of Namibia.
Amongst its recognizable impacts to date since inception, the Fund has disbursed grants valued at more than N$ 583 million, ensured that more than 240, 256 hectares of land are under conservation, 71 grants approved for different environmental projects, created more than 950 employment opportunities mostly rural based and include season ones and retrofitted 169 boreholes that benefitted more than 77 000 who now have access to portable drinking water and attracted N$ 820 million for concessional Green Credit Line with participating commercial bank from Agence Française de Développement (AFD) under the SUNREF project in Namibia. To-date attracted and mobilised more than N$3 billion mostly from multilateral and developmental funding institutions and partners. For more information visit: http://www.eif.org.na/
About the CBNRM EDA Project
In 2015, the Fund obtained accreditation to the Green Climate Fund (GCF), a unique global fund, established within the rubric of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), as a response to climate change for investing in low-emission and climate-resilient development through nomination by the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism as the National Designated Authority (NDA). As an Accredited Entity (AE), EIF is eligible for accessing climate change funding from the GCF on behalf of the National Designated Authority, the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism.
At its 14th meeting of the board in October 2016, the GCF approved funding for the first Community Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) Enhanced Direct Access (EDA) proposal titled
“Empower to Adapt: Creating Climate Change Resilient Livelihoods Through CBNRM In Namibia”. The
project, expected to build the resilience of more than 76,000 people living in CBNRM areas in Namibia, and was officially launched on 30th august 2017 in Windhoek.
The overall objective of the CBNRM EDA project is to empower rural communities of the Namibian CBNRM network to respond to climate change in terms of awareness, adaptive capacity, and low-carbon development. The project aims to ensure that local communities within CBNRM areas have reduced vulnerability and increased resilience to the anticipated impacts of climate change by incorporating climate adaptation response strategies into local practices so that assets, livelihoods and ecosystem services are protected from climate-induced risks associated with expected droughts, seasonal shifts and other climate disaster events.
The CBNRM EDA grants facility was officially launched in August 2018 with the first call of proposals placed between August to November 2018 and the second placed from May-July 2019. To date, the grant facility is supporting the implementation of 31 grants awarded to registered communal conservancies and community forests. The awarded grants vary between N$ 799,250.00 and N$ 5,522,700.00 and cover the facility’s three investment windows namely, Climate Resilient Agriculture (CRA), Climate Proof Infrastructure (CPI), and Ecosystem-Based Adaptation (EBA).
