By Edzorna Francis Mensah
As Ghana joins the rest of the work to mark this year’s World Environmental Day, the Sector Minister has revealed Ghana has lost about 30% of its forest cover in the last 20 years due to agricultural expansion, logging, and mining as land degradation, desertification and drought are having a significant effect on the country.
This she said is leading to soil erosion, nutrient depletion, reduced water retention capacity and other environmental challenges using the Upper East and Upper West Regions as the affected zones.
According to Ophelia Mensah Hayford, the Minister for the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation Ghana experiences frequent droughts, particularly in the northern regions, which significantly impact agriculture, water availability, and food security.
She said the 2020 drought affected over 1 million people, causing crop failures and livestock deaths and “desertification has an impact on agriculture in general, drought resilience, and land restoration efforts. As mentioned earlier, the loss of 30% of the country’s forest cover in the last 20 years has resulted in nutrient depletion, soil erosion, and decreased water retention capacity.
Regular droughts now have a disastrous impact on agriculture, water supply, and food security, especially in the northern regions. Crop yields have decreased, and drought susceptibility has grown as a result of intensive agricultural methods’ deteriorating soil fertility”.
Madam, Mensah Hayford noted that, this desertification has further been exacerbated by; Livestock overgrazing has led to soil compaction and land deterioration.
Urbanization and rapid population growth have also put more strain on the land, which has resulted in deforestation and increased drought susceptibility; Limited awareness and education on sustainable land management practices, desertification, and drought resilience among farmers, communities, and policymakers have also hinder effective action.
In his welcome address, the Executive Director of EPA, DR. John Kingsley Krugu submitted that desertification is an insidious process that silently strips away the productivity of the land with the possibility of causing food insecurity, loss of biodiversity, and forced migration.
He said the situation affects nearly every continent and undermines efforts to achieve sustainable development.
Mr. Krugu said, “Our approach to combating decertification must be multifaceted, involving sustainable land management, reforestation, and community engagement”.
He stressed the fact that, by adopting these practices as enumerated above “we can halt and even reverse the spread of deserts, protecting both the environment and livelihoods that depend on it”.
He added that drought resilience is essential for ensuring that communities and ecosystems can withstand and recover from periods of water scarcity- “this involves implementing efficient water management systems, promoting drought-resistant crops, and building infrastructure that can withstand climatic extremes”.
“Through innovation and sustainable practices, we can enhance the resilience of our ecosystems and communities, safeguarding them against the unpredictable impacts of climate change”, EPA Boss added.
This year’s international theme for the World Environment Day Celebration is “Land Restoration, Desertification and Drought Resilience”, emphasizing the critical importance of restoring land, combating desertification, and enhancing resilience to drought. Ghana’s adopted national theme is “Land Restoration, Desertification and Drought Resilience – Journey to a Greener future” with the slogan, “Our Land Our Future”.
Background
It is known worldwide that the United Nations, during the Stockholm Conference in 1973 proclaimed 5th June as the World Environment Day to among other; – highlight and create regular public awareness and education on emerging environmental issues, – serve as a powerful platform to engage people, communities, and governments around the world, and – stimulate actions on critical environmental challenges facing the planet.
