Activist Stresses Need for Sustainable, Scientific Environmental Protection to Ensure Food Security

Addis Ababa March 20/2024 (ENA) Sustainable and scientific environmental and natural resource protection works should be consolidated in order to ensure food security in Ethiopia, the environmental activist and expert Mengistu Wube noted.

 The environmental activist Mengistu Wube is a researcher and lecturer who has been publishing books and studies on food security.

In an exclusive interview with ENA, he pointed out that Ethiopia has resources that could feed the region by exploiting its multi-ecological and bio-diversity potentials.

In this respect, Mengistu said the Green Legacy Initiative (GLI) that Ethiopia has been implementing over the past years is of immense significance.

For him, the initiative is a pragmatic response and has become imperative in ensuring soil security and water conservation.

According to him, environmental conservation should be widely taught in schools beginning kindergarten and the role of institutions that are bases for indigenous knowledge must be consolidated. 

The activist noted that land protection and use policy are crucial for sustainable natural resource conservation, adding that soil and water conservation activities play a major role in ensuring food security.

Man's cruelty to natural resources has created many crises on himself, the activist stressed.

In addition to the effort to reverse the looming danger of climate change on food security, Mengistu underlined that pursuing a strategy that can withstand the unprecedented impacts of the change is critical.  

In this regard, the special attention given to wheat production and bounty of the basket (Ye Lemat Tirufat) programs by the government have lots of hope, the activist said.

The Green Legacy Initiative (GLI) has so far planted over 25 billion tree seedlings.