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Sharon Chigeza Mutare Correspondent
GOVERNMENT has launched a series of capacity building workshops in two of the country’s 10 provinces to equip provincial heads in development and environmental issues to do with climate change adaptation strategies.

The Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement is working with the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) to roll out the programme that is funded by UNDP.

Speaking on the sidelines of a capacity building workshop held in Mutare last week, EMA environmental planning and monitoring officer, Mr Tawanda Chinongwenya said the training programmes being held at provincial level were targeted at provincial administrators and representatives from institutions under the food and nutrition cluster and other key enablers.

The workshop is aimed at increasing stakeholder knowledge and understanding of climate change issues. We are also aiming at capacitating these stakeholders on how to mainstream climate change adaptation into development frameworks at lower levels, he said.

Mr Chinongwenya said following the rolling out of the National Adaptation Plan development process in 2015, three pilot districts, Buhera, Chimanimani and Chiredzi were put under the integrated planning system project in Manicaland and Masvingo.

“The workshop’s objective is to strengthen institutional, scientific, technical, informational management and human resource capacity of provincial Government staff to enable them to be key agents in driving and monitoring adaptation planning in districts, which fall under the provinces,” he said.

A climate change scientist with the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement, Mr Tatenda Mutasa, said the best response to climate change was adaptation, which was critical in developing resilience.

“The best response to climate change is adaptation rather than mitigation. Adaptation helps in strengthening resilience to change, which is key to development hence we are carrying out these capacity strengthening workshops,” said Mr Mutasa.