Windhoek — President Hifikepunye Pohamba will officially launch the five-year Namibia Country Pilot Partnership (CPP) programme for Integrated Sustainable Land Management (ISLM) this evening.

The CPP programme aims to reduce land degradation, thus delivering economic benefits to Namibian communities. The programme's chief objectives are to enable Namibia to reach its Millennium Development Goal on environmental sustainability, and ensure the integrity of dry land ecosystems and ecosystem services, in line with the requirements of NDP3.

"The Government of Namibia has identified land degradation as a serious problem which demands remedial attention," explained National Programme Coordinator, Benedict Libanda.

"This is a particularly pressing concern since 70 percent of Namibia's people are dependent on agriculture for their livelihoods," he added.

A statement from the CPP Programme Coordination Unit said on Friday on-the-ground activities of the CPP will include improving communities' abilities to manage grazing land and livestock farming, building alternative livelihoods through supporting small businesses in rural areas, training people in the management of natural resources, developing ways to reduce bush encroachment and testing the use of more drought resistant crop and animal varieties.

At national level, the CPP will be supporting policy developments that are conducive to sustainable land management, assisting the Government and civil society efforts to monitor land degradation and strengthen national planning processes.