Transnational knowledge transfer and partnership project. Linking African NGOs and institutions.
Southern Africa is particularly vulnerable to climate change. This also entails a number of risks for the achievement of global development goals, in particular for agriculture, water availability and quality, the livelihoods of the rural population, social development and poverty reduction. In addition, traditional, indigenous and generational knowledge and understanding of the importance and interconnectedness of the environment with human needs is increasingly being lost. This leads to various forms of environmental degradation, e.g. overexploitation of natural resources and the spread of unsustainable development patterns. Rural communities in particular are becoming less resilient to extreme weather events.
In order to counteract this development, the focus of this project is on the transnational and networked dissemination of environmental competence and agro-ecological concepts in the sense of permaculture.
Namibia, South Africa and Mozambique have already developed systems and programme interventions at the national level and taken steps towards a better informed and resilient public with regard to the relationship between climate, environment and lifestyles. Nevertheless, there are still major gaps and challenges, especially with regard to access to information for the rural population, the development of trans-national approaches to climate adaptation and environmental protection.
The primary objective of this project is the formation of a transnational network of civil society and state actors who are creating awareness for climate adaptation, environmental protection and indigenous land use practices in Southern Africa.
This objective is supported by the three sub objectives
Presently, the Transnational project have eight partner organisations from across Africa. The purpose of the project is to contribute to the creation of a regional, transnational awareness of climate change adaptation, environmental protection and indigenous land use practices network in Africa. The project envision that trained project participants in southern Africa effectively apply sustainable methods and knowledge for climate change adaptation and environmental protection in their specific context and disseminate their knowledge locally, nationally and internationally. The eight partner organisations are networking on the topics of environmental protection and/or adaptation to climate change, exchange knowledge, progress, challenges on a regional basis and offer each other assistance. Small scale farmers, for example, apply their agroecology knowledge, have access to local seeds, small livestock, and irrigation, and diversify their agriculture. Lastly, the project also aims for Environmental awareness among trained pupils and teachers in rural areas to be increased by access to information and knowledge on environmental protection and climate change.