The Fijian Government continues to promote the safe and sustainable use of farming practices in order to prevent land degradation and desertification.
This commitment will be highlighted by the Minister for Agriculture, Rural and Maritime Development, Waterways and Environment Hon. Dr. Mahendra Reddy on the 25th anniversary of the adoption of the Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and during the celebration of World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought (WDCD) in Labasa this week.
“The Government places particular emphasis on the use of arable land in a safe and sustainable manner to ensure the prevention of soil depletion in order to retain its soil nutrient content and as a means to avoid continued gradual degradation.”
Minister Reddy further added, “We have employed various technologies such as vetiver grass technology and the sustainable land use model to mitigate our actions which have exacerbated natural equilibriums that unfortunately has accelerated the erosion and depletion of our soils and lands”.
He also highlighted that moving forward, the Ministry would work within its resources to actively promote sustainable farming practices as the conversion of land for agricultural purposes was a leading driver of land-use change due to the needs of meeting food and nutrition demands.
“Holistic approaches are needed to reverse these trends because as a small island state, the effects of climate change will only be aggravated if we fail to implement land-based climate change mitigation activities that can support conservation goals effectively and the measures we take matter if we’re to secure our food and nutrition,” said Minister Reddy.
Fiji, as a member country of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), will join the rest of the world in commemorating World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought on 17 June 2019 in Coqeloa, Labasa with invited stakeholders.
The event is organised in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) Action Against Desertification (AAD) Project and with the theme for this year’s celebration “Let’s grow the future together”.
This day has been observed since 1995 to promote public awareness relating to international cooperation to combat desertification and the effects of drought.
Part of the celebration program includes the planting of indigenous fruit trees, native tree species and Juncao grass which also complement the new initiatives of the Ministry of Agriculture. This will also be an opportunity for farmers and the general public to learn about the importance of soil conservation through sustainable land management for the benefit of future generations.