ALM Case Study 2010 - Coping with Drought and Climate Change in Ethiopia

Submitted by andrea on Mon, 2011-02-21 08:16
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Project:
Coping with Drought and Climate Change in Ethiopia
Summary:

Vulnerability analyses for Ethiopia suggest that environmental changes over the coming decades present a serious threat to economic and social sectors. Water is a specifically fragile resource with the frequency and intensity of drought projected to increase. Addressing long-term climate change is thus required to reduce the impacts on livelihoods and bolster major economic sectors such as agriculture, which is the mainstay of the country. In response, and as part of a set of three other Coping with Drought and Climate Change projects in Kenya, Mozambique and Zimbabwe, this project is working to improve the livelihood strategies and resilience of farmers. Through enhanced farming practices and improvement of community-based natural resource management, rural communities are adapting to water scarcity and drought. This project is also establishing the use of early warning systems to bolster resilience in the agricultural sector.

Adaptation Experience:

Background

Results and Learning:

Key lessons learned: 

  • Introduced early maturing and high yielding new varieties of Teff, Rice, Sorghum and Chickpea as good coping mechanisms for climate change and drought compared to local varieties. The introduced drought resistant and early maturing Chickpea and Teff varieties have received farmers’ appreciation due to the demonstrated high productivity early maturity/fast growing, its tolerance to water logging and canopy/tiller formation. Participant farmers have got good lessons from each crops compare to their local varieties. 
  • Inter and intra (outside and inside the project pilot sites) experience sharing visits of community members on best practices are a means to  knowledge sharing  especially on homestead agricultural practices, water management ( geomembrane utilization  techniques), high yielding and early mature crop varieties and gully crossing for irrigation, marketing approaches and spring developments.
  • Farmers access to safe and dependable water as a result of the spring development. This activity benefits especially women by saving time to fetch water at least 40 mints to one hour to their homes. Furthermore, women were forced to dig sand to get water in the Borkena River. Women were also gone to river to fetch water in the night starting from 3 am by struggling with Hayna’s.  As a result of the spring development and the possibility of saving time, women can cook their family meal on time early in the morning and the husbands are able go to their farm activities on time.  The health of the community members are also becomes improved. 
  • The forage and tree plants and gully rehabilitation by gabions and sacks on the selected watershed have good performance. Pigeon pea, Acacia Policanta, Jatrofa, Sasibania and lablab are found on the selected watershed on a good performance on hill side tracing and eyebrow basin. 
  • The adoption trail on NERICA (rice variety) has found in a good stand and farmers appreciated the rice plant performance, water logging tolerance and early maturity. Especially farmers who have water logged lands are interested on this crop for the future agricultural season because any lands that are waterlogged were not suitable to any crop. 
  • Increasing irrigable lands by gully crossings, ponds and wing pumps/drips are a means to adapt climate change and drought by increasing productivity and income of vulnerable farmers and farmers appreciated it 
  • Sheep, goat, honey bee and forage productions are also a means to adapt climate change and drought by increasing productivity and  diversified income sources of vulnerable farmers
  • A regular and systematic data collection, analysis, feedback, dissemination modality at woreda and site level between office of Agriculture, Metrology and communities/DA’s are a good means to strengthen early warning information communication and decision (drought and climate change) at all levels to increase agricultural production systems.
Sustainability:

To be determined.

Replication:

To be determined.

Image(s):
Funding Source:
GEF-SCCF