The
Agriculture Natural Resources (ANR) sub-committees within the Technical
Advisory Committee (TAC) of the 3 regions: URR, CRR and NBR came up with
multi-stakeholder forum called the “Sustainable Land Management (SLM) Forum”.
The
idea of an SLM forum at regional level is to strengthen the monitoring and
evaluation system on ANR, to provide an on-the-job training, and to improve the
capacity of planning and coordinating the regional SLM work in order to react
quickly and efficiently to weaknesses on SLM aspects.
The
process is being support by the Action Against Desertification (AAD) Project
with funding from European Commission (EC) through the Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO) of the United Nations.
The
AAD project is geared towards supporting the implementation of the Great Green
Wall for Sahara and Sahel Initiative (GGWSSI) and South-South cooperation in
the ACP countries.
The
overall objective of the project is to contribute to poverty alleviation;
ending hunger and improving resilience to climate change using the landscape
approach.
The
specific objective of the project is to improve the condition and productivity
of the agro-sylvo-pastoral landscapes affected by Desertification, Land
Degradation and Drought (DLDD) in three regions of The Gambia (North Bank
Region, North of Central River Region and Upper River Region).
In
all the 3 regions of the project, Natural Resources Consulting (NACO) Gambia, a
co-funding partner to the project, as well as an implementing partner
facilitated the process.
Seventy-five participants were involved in the
process; twenty-five participants per venue including the Regional Governors
(URR and NBR) and Deputy Governor for CRR.
Apex Forestry and farmer-based organizations
and district chiefs of Niani and Sami were as well involved in the process.
In
their keynote addresses, the governors of URR and NBR alongside the deputy
Governor of CRR, all commended FAO for addressing issues-related food
insecurity and the sustainable management of natural resources, and assured all
of the full cooperation and collaboration of their offices representing the
President of the Republic in ensuring that the project objectives are attained
and sustained.
Both
meetings agreed on institutional involvement in the forum and their respective
roles and responsibilities in SLM.
