BUILDING FORWARD BETTER
Conflict and fragility are at the core of some of the biggest challenges today – they are able to hinder development progress and also to reverse any development gains. Environmental factors are rarely, if ever, the sole cause of conflicts. However, the exploitation of natural resources and related environmental stresses can be implicated in all phases of the conflict cycle, from contributing to the outbreak and perpetuation of violence to undermining prospects for peace.
Countries can experience vulnerable conditions at different level of intensity and under different dimensions: from socio-economic, to environmental to human health. Crises generated by global pandemics, such as COVID 19, can have further negative effects on fragility contexts.
Natural resources management, in particular land and water resources, also becomes a highly critical challenge under such dire situations. Against a backdrop of lost human capital and declined institutional capacity in fragile contexts and in the aftermath of a conflict, sound natural resources management can boost food production, create new job opportunities, mitigate the risk of conflict, and foster post-crisis reconstruction process.
Rebuilding and updating local ingenuity are fundamental to support recovery processes of vulnerable contexts. Without the contribution of knowledgeable professionals, the re-building process becomes even more complicated. A comprehensive and well-coordinated capacity-building project is thus instrumental to address the knowledge gaps in natural resources management and, ultimately, to promote food security and safety.
The “Strengthening natural resources management capacities to revitalize agriculture in fragile contexts” Initiative stems from the recognition of the importance of investing in human capital in fragile contexts. It aims at addressing the loss of human capacity provoked by fragility in countries confronted with the need to improve natural resources management, strengthen national institutions and boost human capital to enhance agricultural productivity, improve food security and progress towards the SDGs. In the specific, the Initiative will result in:
- Critical capacities in the field of natural resources management for sustainable agriculture identified;
- Skills in natural resources management upgraded through dedicated training in key thematic areas; and
- A network of experts and technicians set-up and equipped as appropriate with necessary technologies for assessments, planning and piloting of natural resources management investments and development projects.