Maseru, 02 November 2022
Adaptive water and land management lessons on Integrated Catchment Management learned during Zambian Learning Journey
A team of technical experts and other professionals from the Lesotho government and the implementing partners of the national integrated catchment management (ICM) programme, ReNOKA embarked on a learning experience programme to Zambia from 24-28 October 2022.
This visit was funded by the European Union (EU) and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), through the GIZ support to the implementation of ICM programme. The trip was intended to exchange ideas and experiences on ICM between Lesotho and Zambia and showcase how ICM stakeholders can work across multiple sectors and levels of government to reconcile regional, national and local priorities to reflect a diversity of approaches, histories and governance arrangements.
The Zambian Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Water Development and Sanitation, Eng Joe Kasula, complimented Lesotho’s efforts to promote the conservation of water and land. He said this exchange programme will benefit the two countries.
“I’m delighted to receive the mission from Lesotho on a learning exchange programme in land and water resource development. We hope for the positive milestone that you will learn from our experiences; and, the next time we visit your country, to learn from you.
ICM has in recent years been promoted by a plethora of “top-down” government policies, while a number of “bottom-up” community-based initiatives have also been established.
‘Mats’olo Migwi, the Deputy Coordinator of ICM Coordination Unit said the learnings and experiences of the Zambia trip emphasised the importance of building and sustaining the longstanding partnership between humanitarian response and social development network.
“Working across sectors, aligning planning processes, and multi-stakeholder collaboration are key issues in the linking of top-down and bottom-up ICM, providing insights into how adaptive water governance can work in practice,” she said.
The in-depth Learning Journey was made up of field visits to locations where the locals developed local solutions to help bridge gaps between local communities and government.
The visit to Mwemba Musende Catchment Protection Demonstration site presented the ways in which trusted intermediaries can successfully bridge the gap across levels of governance, for instance, between communities, businesses, and multiple government departments, at all levels. In this area, women and men are taking upon themselves to voluntarily protect the land and water which they use for domestic and farming purposes.
The exchange programme also highlighted the need for a legal framework, or at least an established policy structure, to harness the goodwill and interests of local stakeholders while improving implementation of broader national objectives.
The delegation of Lesotho was led by the Director of Water Affairs Motoho Maseatile, and comprised members of the Ministries of Water, Forestry, Range and Soil Conservation, Agriculture and Food Security, Local Government, Energy and Meteorology, ICM Coordination Unit and the implementing partners, GIZ, WASCO and the National ICM Technical Secretariat (NTS).
