How Namibian climate influenced development.

Essay by GPSUniversity, Bachelor's August 2003

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Desertification opposing development in Namibia

Introduction

The aim of the follow essay is just to name and discuss one of the factors that contribute to a country not developing as it should. In this essay Namibia have been chosen and the factor being desertification which hampers development in Namibia. According to Aubrey Prinz, about 70% of the population of Namibia is dependent on subsistence farming and also according to Aubrey Prinz, "Desertification, defined as a loss of productivity and land degradation, is a real threat to sustainable development in Namibia." ( www.drfn.org.na/Napintro.html ).

Argument

Drought in Namibia, as most people know happens quite regularly, so some people does make long term provision for such occurrences. During two drought periods namely 1992-3 and 1995-6 the Namibian government has given significant assistance, according to Aubrey Prinz ( www.namibia-desertification.org/sara.pdf ). This would have most certainly created the perception that unsustainable farming are acceptable and will then in turn lead to further dependancy from these farmers on the Namibian government, but will also lead to further desertification, because the land is first of all not able to sustain intensive farming.

Some of the processes lauched wash one in June 1994 when Namibia signed the International Convention to Combat Desertification (CCD) and the other and most important one that was lauched was the Programme to Combat Desertification (Napcod), which is at the moment at its third phase. This program studies aspects like political, socio-economic and also the bio-physical related to land degradation and ultimately desertification. One of the ways to stop degradation of the land and desertification is to stop deforestation. This causes the land to be exposed to natural elements like rain and wind which can erode the land and over time reder it useless, a wasteland so to speak. Which can only be...