The direct GEBs include a total 3 520 ha of production land under SLWM, and globally significant landraces and CWR conserved on 700 ha. Simultaneously, the project contributes to the achievement of GEBs indirectly, facilitating changes is people’s behaviour and mind-sets through awareness raising and training/learning events and activities, and supporting a culture change in governmental institutes that are involved in the management and development of oasis agro-ecosystems in the New Valley and nationally.
Strategic Objective/Organizational Outcome:
SO2:Increase and improve provision of goods and services from agriculture, forestry and fisheries in a sustainable manner:
- Innovative practices & technologies piloted, tested or scaled up by producers to sustainably increase productivity, address climate change and environmental degradation; and
- Policies, strategies and investment programmes formulated in support to sustainable agriculture, forestry and fishery, and address climate change and environmental degradation.
Main Activities:
The 3 interlinked technical components of the project are:
- Strengthened institutional, management and technical capacities of key stakeholder groups at the Governorate level in order to support the mainstreaming of sustainable management of land, water and agro-biodiversity into development investments (Indicators: Participants of workshops and other learning activities apply newly acquired technical and functional knowledge systematically; DRC provides more targeted support to farmer communities in oasis agro-ecosystems on SLWM and agro-biodiversity);
- Improved management and sustainable use of oasis agro-ecosystems through the introduction of locally adapted and adopted SLWM practices and agro-biodiversity conservation (Indicators: Area of landscapes under sustainable land and water management in production systems; Improved diversity status of selected target species; Number of community-based initiatives supporting local development; Increased awareness of the roles of women and men in the sustainable management and use of natural resources; and % of women entrepreneurs that have been granted credit for community-based initiatives); and
- Achievements and lessons of the project are well established and perpetuated.
Stakeholders:
This GEF co-financed project offers an opportunity to local communities and smallholders women and disadvantaged in particular of the Kharga oasis to improve their quality of life, as it eventually contributes to sustainable food production intensification and diversified livelihood options. Therefore, the project will select, demonstrate and upscale successful and relevant sustainable land, water and agro-biodiversity management approaches and practices that help maintain and enhance the flow of oasis agro-ecosystem services in 3 pilot sites, namely El Moneera, Nasr and El Thawre.