Not only does the planet earth require green topography and geographical trajectory but it also needs fertile landscapes for coming up with abundant and sustainable production and lucrative agricultural domains. Yes, green environment is instrumental in creating decent work, appealing environment thereby fostering economic growth. Hence, making the environment green and keeping soil fertility does have a direct bearing to economic advancement.
Taking the association between green environment and economic progress into account, The Ethiopian Herald had a stay with Molla Asmare, an agro-economist graduated from Mekekle University, to have a piece of information about the significance of expanding green legacy initiative nationally, regionally and even globally towards contributing a lot to economic growth and sustainable development.
He said, “If people, predominantly farmers, keep farmlands in particular and the entire ecology in general green, it does have a positive correlation to the rise of production and productivity thereby highly contributing to economic advancement.”
As to him, promising steps like what Ethiopia has been taking are decisive measures to increase production and productivity apart from mitigating the severe impacts of global warming born to desertification and effects of barren land. Yes, he said, green legacy promotes sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all across the nation in particular and continentally as well as globally at a larger scale.
He said, “Needless to state, Ethiopia, has homed close to 120 million people and has been regarded as one of the world’s most drought-prone nations. It has a high degree of vulnerability to hydro-meteorological hazards and natural disasters. Dependence on sectors that are climate change sensitive such as rain-fed agriculture, water, tourism, and forestry as well as a high level of poverty is the main factors that exacerbate Ethiopia’s vulnerability.”
Ethiopia also endorsed a Climate Resilient Green Economy (CRGE) strategy in 2011 with the objective of combating all the aforesaid hurdles via building a green and resilient economy. Over the years, Ethiopia has been implementing various programs within those policy frameworks. One among them, and by far the most consequential, has been the Green Legacy Initiative (GLI). Rooted in a vision of building a green and climate-resilient Ethiopia, the Green Legacy Initiative was launched in June 2019, he stated.
As to Molla, the Green Legacy Initiative is a demonstration of Ethiopia’s long-term commitment to a multifaceted response to the impacts of climate change and environmental degradation that encompasses agroforestry, forest sector development, greening and renewal of urban areas, and integrated water and soil resources management. This has an immense contribution to Ethiopia’s efforts to meet economic growth course in one way or another.
He further stated that the Green Legacy Initiative has highly contributed to food security and social safety. This directly feeds into the current drive of becoming food self-sufficient by promoting sustainable agriculture as envisaged in Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Though Ethiopia is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change, frequent droughts, floods and locust infestations, it has now working hard to avert this narration and put itself on the position it deserves, he opined.
Since most of the bounties of the green legacy initiative are fruits and vegetables, it has directly contributed a lot to the effort geared towards ensuring food self-sufficiency.
According to Molla, agroforestry is believed to be the future of sustainable land use practice in Ethiopia and nurturing the planted tree seedlings has to be a culture as it helps boost agricultural production and keep the ecosystem balanced.
True, he added, agroforestry results in ecological and economic interaction minimizing the trade-off between agriculture and forestry. Agroforestry trees could be planted for food, firewood, fertilizer, timber, and animal fodder into annual crops, pastures, and livestock systems in various forms and patterns as per the context of the area and socio-cultural settings of the communities.
Even he said the business-oriented nurseries, which are run mainly by women and youth, have been supplying quality seedlings to the GLI and gaining valuable income for gofers in return.
He said all Ethiopians have to make greening land a culture as it will pay off in all circumstances and even the generations to come would be highly beneficiaries out of this rewarding scheme.
The greening system is of significantly useful in promoting inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment as well as boosting agricultural production.
The already planted 25 billon seedlings, almost all have been proliferated, have already been contributing a lot to economic advancement as they are keeping farmlands fertile, operators active to initiate themselves for more work and helping the country have global recognition, as to Molla.
Hence, the government, non-governmental organizations and the general public at large are expected to intensify the seedlings’ plantation taking their economic advantage into consideration, other merits remain the same, he said.
According to Molla, interestingly the green legacy initiative is of pivotal in minifying youth unemployment, reinvigorating investment and rising the appealing nature of the country to be visited by a number of local as well as international visitors.
If economic advancement is secured via keeping the environment green and well exploiting what the country does confidently have, Ethiopia can take effective measures to eradicate poverty, stamp out modern slavery and human trafficking as economy can regulate all irregularities and unfriendly moves. Hence, the country has to take the lead in terms of buttressing green economy.
Yes, green economy is defined as low carbon, resource efficient and socially inclusive interchange. In a green economy, growth in employment and income are driven by public and private investment into such economic activities, infrastructure and assets that allow reduced carbon emissions and pollution, enhanced energy and resource efficiency, and prevention of the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services, underlined.
Molla said, “Green investments need to be enabled and supported through targeted public expenditure, policy reforms and changes in taxation and regulation as these are critical economic asset and a source of public benefits, especially for poor people whose livelihoods depend on natural resources. The notion of green economy would create a new focus on the economy, investment, infrastructure, and employment thereby bolstering positive social and environmental outcomes across the nation.”
The role of Green Economy aims at improving production processes and consumption practices to reduce resource consumption, waste generation and emissions across the full life cycle of processes and products, he added.
He said, “Coming up with green economy through making green legacy initiative rampant would unequivocally help boost advocacy of macro-economic approach to sustainable economic growth through regional, sub-regional and national engagements. Ethiopia has these days been carrying out all activities that make the environment green and amplifying demonstration of green economy approaches with a central focus on access to green finance, technology and investments at every corner of the nation.”
As to him, what is expected of Ethiopia this time around is soliciting support from countries which would love to see its change and prosperity in terms of development and mainstreaming of macro-economic policies to support the transition to a green economy.
In a nutshell, Ethiopia along with development partners, local and international companies or other development associates of course, has to work hard for the successful implementation of the national green development policy, integration of green economy into local level development plans, Sustainable Development Goals indicators and greening of key sectors.
As multi-stakeholder partnerships for the promotion of a green economy are instrumental in accelerating and cementing sustainable changes in both consumption and production patterns, the government of Ethiopia must attach due emphasis to green economic development by widely expanding best practices of the green legacy initiative and the economic advantage milked out of it since such a lucrative step is well attested to be a very important move in promoting resource efficiency and bolstering green economy. By and large, green ecosystem is quite important in fueling economic advancement.
BY MENGESHA AMARE
The Ethiopian Herald July 16/2023
