18 Jun 2025

Desertification and drought present a danger that impact food security, water availability, economic livelihood, says North East District Council chairperson Mr Mbaakanyi Smart.

Speaking during Desertification and Drought Day commemoration in Kgari on Tuesday, he said desertification and drought affected human dignity, especially those living in vulnerable, rural and dry land areas.

“Each year, millions of hectares of fertile soils are lost to degradation and drought grows intensively and more frequently,” he said adding that this fuelled poverty, displacement and hunger. 

Mr Smart said amid such challenges, there was a profound truth that the land could recover and when it does, people would thrive. 

He this year’s theme: Restore the Land: Unlock the Opportunities was not just a slogan, but also a strategy for sustainable development and a pathway to hope. 

By restoring degraded lands, he said there would be revival of the ecosystem that supported biodiversity and life while at the same time empowering the communities through agriculture and economic opportunities.

Mr Smart said restoration of degraded land would also strengthen resilience against climate change, natural disasters and create jobs particularly for women and youth in rural areas.

Mr Smart said land was a finite resource and thus its over use or ignoring its role in people’s everyday lives threatened food security, water supply, biodiversity and human security.

The Desertification and Drought Day, he said, was also a platform for the community together with stakeholders to reflect on efforts toward managing desertification, land degradation and drought. 

“Desertification and Drought Day offers an opportunity to share information and strengthen concrete measures to advance aspirations of the nation and contribute to the realisation of land degradation neutral land,” he said.  

He further said shortsighted economic gains such as land grabbing, unsustainable agriculture and over consumption lead to unsustainable land use, which eventually caused land degradation and loss of critical ecosystem services.

He said North East District, the smallest and most densely populated, faced challenges of land pressure and overgrasing, communal grazing system that often led to overstocking, overgrazing, soil compaction and vegetation loss.

“Widespread sheet erosion and gully formation were always observed in many parts of the district due to runoff and deforestation,” he said adding that poor farming techniques and insufficient soil conservation practices contributed to the decline in soil productivity.

Kgosi Godfrey English of Kgari said as part of community empowerment, they managed to fence the portion where gabions were constructed with the assistance of the community and Ipelegeng staff.

District forest and range resources officer, Ms Gosetseng Balopi urged the community to preserve land by engaging in planting more trees adding that planting trees and doing nothing thereafter, would be a futil exercise.

She said as part of their preparations for the commemoration, they visited schools near Kgari, where they sensitised learners on desertification and drought. ENDS