Practice proper land use to defeat climate change – FAO

Kenya has been urged to restore the environment and ecosystem to effectively address the impacts of climate change.

“To address climate change through land governance, there is a need for sustainable land management and land use planning,” said Food and Agriculture Organization Kenya deputy representative Williams Hamisi.

He said the measures should be supported by policies and legislation.

Hamisi spoke during a two-day second regional research conference, whose theme was ‘Responding to climate change through land governance in the region’, at the Kenya School of Government. 

The conference was organised by the National Research Fund, the University of Nairobi, the Environment, Climate Change and Forestry ministry and the National Land Commission.

Hamisi said there is a need to address the impacts of climate to enhance food security, eradicate poverty and attain the Sustainable Development Goals.

SDGs are a collection of 17 interlinked global goals to transform the world.

They were agreed on by 193 countries in September 2015.

The 17 goals aim to address climate change and poverty and improve education, health and economic growth.

United Nations describes the SDGs as seeking to “protect the planet, and improve the lives and prospects of everyone, everywhere.”

Hamisi said the manner in which land is being used is contributing to greenhouse gases.

He challenged researchers to come up with innovative approaches to food production processes as well as consumption.

“We need more research to help farmers on climate-smart agriculture,” Hamisi said.

In 2015, the leading source of emissions was agriculture at 40 per cent of the total national emissions due to livestock enteric fermentation, manure left on pasture and agriculture soils, and fertiliser application.

Land use, land-use change and forestry contributed 38 per cent due to deforestation and energy.

Hamisi said land governance has been neglected, contributing to climate change.

He decried that the sanctity of land ownership allowed property owners to do whatever they want to do with their land, even if it was leading to degradation.

“Storey buildings are now taking up cropland and riparian are being invaded,” he said. 

The state says Kenya’s successive climate change impacts over the past 10 years have resulted in socioeconomic losses estimated at three to five per cent of the GDP.

Kenya’s historical emission contribution is negligible, at less than 0.1 per cent of the total global emissions.

Kenya ratified the Paris Agreement in 2016.

The country has since submitted the Nationally Determined Contributions, with a commitment to reduce emissions by 32 per cent against a business-as-usual scenario by 2030.

The NDC also commits to enhancing resilience in all sectors of the economy.

The National Climate Change Action Plan 2018-22 is a five-year plan that helps Kenya adapt to climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Agriculture, energy, manufacturing, transport, waste and forestry are some of the sectors the government intends to use to curb emissions.

The country needs $62 billion (Sh6.7 trillion) to mitigate and adapt to the impact of climate change between 2020 and 2030.

Aware that forests will play a key role, the government has pledged to increase its cover by growing 15 billion trees by 2032 at a cost of Sh500 billion.

The move seeks to restore 10.6 million hectares (26.1 million acres) of degraded landscape.

Forests regulate ecosystems, protect biodiversity, play an integral part in the carbon cycle, support livelihoods and help drive sustainable growth.

Results generated from the recent National Forest Resources Assessment 2021 indicate that Kenya has 7,180,000.66 ha (17,742,168.02 acres) of tree cover, representing 12.13 per cent of the total area.