The project, expected to run for five years, is targeting 75,000 beneficiaries in the state of Northern Bahr el-Ghazal.

By Chuol Chanyong

The Ministry of Environment and Forests in partnership with the UNDP on Tuesday held a validation workshop on Watershed Approaches for Climate Resilience in Agro-pastoral Landscapes Project.

The project, expected to run for five years, is targeting 75,000 beneficiaries in the state of Northern Bahr el-Ghazal.

In his remarks, Daniel Kiir, team leader of the Stabilization, Recovery and Resilience UNDP, highlighted their review during the first year, which is the employment of the beneficiaries.

“This project will be implemented slightly differently from how other projects are implemented because all of these 75,000 people have already been recruited,” he said.

“We have already created governance structures at the community level, and we started conducting some exercises and even distributing materials such as veterinary supplies to those who raise livestock,” he added.

He unveiled that much of the work has been completed including the digitization of maps to be implemented by the project to ensure they facilitate even in building flood protection domains.

Mr. Kiir said in the second year they will go directly to building actual capabilities for all those 75,000 farmers who have already been recruited. 

“We will distribute a number of things including the three seed rings. We will go to the beekeeping and distribute them to the beehives.”

He said they will also distribute some chickens. “So, there is a lot that we want to build on the assessments that were already conducted during the starting stage of the project.”

On his part, Francis Harold Kasangu, senior project manager for World Vision said they hope the goals will be achieved at the end of the five years.

“We have activities that will only target women so that they can participate in decision-making within their families and even in society in general,” he added.

According to him, of the 75,000 people targeted, nearly half of them are women.

For his part, Wani Nelson, a Senior Inspector in the Ministry of Environment and Forestry said there must be ownership of the project by the government.

“Even the state government and also the society that the project is implemented in its land, need to own it as a project of their own.”

He urged the organization not to consider the local communities as beneficiaries but as owners of the project.

“If you take them as beneficiaries, they only come during the implementation process. Once the process stops, they also leave,” he explained.

The UNDP-backed Watershed Approaches for Climate Resilience in Agro-pastoral Landscapes Project, was launched in May 2024 in Juba.

This project is looking to build the flexibility and adaptive ability of societies affected by climate change.   

“Even the state government and also the society that the project is implemented in its land, need to own it as a project of their own,” Wani Nelson, a Senior Inspector in the Ministry of Environment and Forestry.