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As a pre-requisite to the whole process, the CFA was a member of the Country Party in preparing the country National Action Programme (NAP) which documented the root causes and extent of the desertification problem, elaborate programmes and projects, the inputs and actions required for the way forward.
The Zambian Government with the financial assistance from UNDP-UNSO and complying with the requirements of the Convention began to undertake the development of the NAP in 1996 with the creation of a National Steering Committee to spearhead the process. The bottom-up and consensus-building approach was adopted. To this effect, consultative meetings and workshops were carried out in the five provinces of Region I and II that are severely affected by desertification and drought, namely Central, Eastern, Lusaka, Southern and Western. The process involved undertaking of stakeholder inventories and technical studies to document the extent of the problem. These efforts culminated into the National Forum where elements of the NAP for Zambia were discussed and agreed upon. The synthesis of the NAP process in Zambia has resulted in the preparation of the NAP framework document. To validate the contents of the NAP Framework Document, Zambia held a Second National Forum. In this Forum, contents of the NAP were discussed and agreed upon.
The Zambian NAP will concentrate on five provinces of Regions I and II that experience severe problems of land degradation and drought. However, as a preventive measure, programmes aimed at preventing the land degradation problem from spreading should be proposed in areas not yet severely affected by land degradation and drought.
Relationship between NAP and other Programmes: An Analysis
Zambia has for sometime developed multi-sectoral and sectoral programmes relating to the NAP. These show some adequacy between the orientations, strategies of various policies, nature of constraints to be removed and the potentialities to be exploited. These areas form avenues for NAP interventions and collaboration.
The multi sectoral programmes include NEAP, ESP and NBSAP. Sectoral Environmental and Natural Resources Programmes fall under Forestry, Wildlife, Water and Fisheries Sectors. Other programmes promoting sustainable development include ZAMSIF, PRSP, ASIP, National Population and Development Programme, Energy Policy Programmes, Gender Policy Programmes, Road Sector Investment Programme, Education Sector Integrated Programme, Health Sector Reform Programme and the Public Sector Reform Programme.
Programme Areas
Programme Vision To restore land productivity by using sustainable means of conserving it in order to reduce poverty and foster sustainable development.
Programme Purpose The purpose of NAP is to identify the factors contributing to desertification and put in place practical measures necessary to combat desertification and mitigate the effects of drought.
Programme Objectives The NAP aims at contributing to sustainable environmental management through the reduction/control of land degradation, thereby contributing to poverty reduction, food self-sufficiency and food security and ultimately contributing to economic growth. Its immediate objectives are to:
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Reduce the destruction of land resources in affected areas,
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Promote sustainable use of land resources,
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Increase public awareness and information dissemination on matters of land degradation,
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Provide a suitable policy and legislative framework for the implementation of NAP,
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Establish and support effective administrative and co-ordination of the NAP,
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Introduce and improve on assessments, planning and monitoring systems for the effective management of NAP, and
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Establish partnerships with multi-lateral and bilateral institutions in the management of arid, semi-arid and dry sub humid areas.
Identified Programme Areas of Intervention
To achieve the stated objectives, the following programme areas have been proposed according to their priority:
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Early Warning and Preparedness
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Forestry, Ecosystems and Species Conservation
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Water Catchment and Energy Conservation
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Collaboration and Networking
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Capacity Building of Programme Co-ordination Unit and Other Focal Persons
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Extension, Public Awareness, and Information Dissemination
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Land Degradation Assessments, Monitoring and Reporting
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Easy to use environmentally friendly technologies including Indigenous Knowledge
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Livelihood Improvement
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Food Self Sufficiency and Food Security
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Human Settlement Management, and
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Legal and Policy Reviews
Logical Framework and Action Plan
An action plan based on the logical framework approach has been prepared. The approach shows in matrix form, the goal, purpose, outputs, interventions/activities, performance indicators, means of verification and assumptions. Detailed interventions and Action Plans for each programme area is provided in the Logical Framework.
A time frame of 5 years is proposed and resources required to implement the NAP are estimated for the entire programme implementation period to be US$ 26,640,000.00. Government, donors, NGOs, communities and other groups identified with the NAP will support the proposed budget.
Implementation and Co-ordination Arrangements
Institutional Arrangements
An institutional mechanism for implementation and co-ordination of the NAP is proposed, involving the establishment of the National Co-ordination Committee on Desertification, the National Technical Committee on Desertification and Drought, Programme Management Unit (PMU) and co-ordinating committees at provincial, district and grassroots levels. The committees to be formed should be on principles of accountability and transparency. Other institutional measures suggested are ways and means of ensuring the full participation of all identified stakeholders of the NAP, co-ordination of NGOs and CBOs participation at national, provincial, district and grassroots levels through establishment of focal points and community institutions to co-ordinate and manage the programmes. International co-operation will be co-ordinated by the Donor Community Facilitator.
Funding Sources and Mechanisms
Funding to implement programmes outlined in the NAP shall be mobilised through the Global Mechanism (GM), National Desertification Fund (NDF), The Cotonou Agreement, Global Environmental Facility (GEF) window and the Local Area Development Programmes (LADPs).
Environmental conventions to which Zambia is party
For information on environmental conventions to which Zambia is party click here.
Conclusion
It should be mentioned that the NAP prepared is an outcome of a consultative process and is a consensus of all the stakeholders that have been involved in the process. The NAP is also not a finite step, but a flexible process requiring interactive inputs and revision from time to time depending on circumstances. This output is not an elaborate project document, but a framework basis for preparation of detailed projects/programmes on land degradation for implementation. The NAP is therefore a contribution to the sustainable management and development of Zambia's land resources and in particular to combating a major global problem, land degradation.