Climate Change Adaptation & Mitigation

Humans contribute to climate change through their numerous activities including agriculture. Crop production and livestock are implicated because of their contribution to greenhouse gases (GHGs). Livestock production for example, produce about 14% of GHGs. In order to reduce climate change impacts VOPA will support adaptation and mitigation measures.

a. Mitigation
Perhaps the most important mitigating action is to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases released as a result of activities that occur on rangelands. For instance, managing livestock for enhanced efficiency and performance can reduce the amount of methane released as a result of enteric fermentation. Rangeland soils and vegetation are large stores of soil carbon and can be managed to enhance that uptake.

b. Adaptation
The key to managing rangelands successfully in a changing global environment is maintaining and enhancing ecosystem resilience. Resilience is that property of an ecosystem that defines how well it can recover after disturbance or stress has been imposed. VOPA will disseminate rangeland management technologies to help maintain and enhance its resilience.
These technologies include:-

• Rangeland reseeding and fodder production
• Water harvesting
• Livelihood diversification
• Livestock breeding
• Human and Animal health management

v. Supporting clean and sustainable energy alternatives to wood/charcoal fuel
The main fuel that is used in most households across the rangelands come from the trees in form of either firewood or charcoal. In many areas, trees are been over-harvested to meet the growing demand for wood fuel. In some countries in the Mandera County e.g. Somalia, charcoal has become an important export commodity. This will have current and future environmental consequences if not tamed soon enough.
At VOPA, we will support the use of alternative source of energy (Clean energy) in the region. We will establish small scale biogas plants for production of methane gas for household cooking and heating. We will advocate for and support the use of other clean energy sources including gas and solar energy. The use of clean energy has both environmental and health benefits.