Shaping climate-smart land use in Ethiopia

Project description

Title: Climate Sensitive Innovations for Land Mangement (CLM)
Commissioned by: German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)​​​​​​​
Country: Ethiopia
Lead executing agency: Ministry of Agriculture (MoA)​​​​​​​
Overall term: 2021 to 2024

Small-scale irrigation in the Ethiopian highlands. Copyright: GIZ.

Context

Agriculture is essential for economic growth and long-term food security in Ethiopia. It is the main source of income for three quarters of the population. Since 2008, the Ethiopian Government, with the support of GIZ and the German Development Cooperation, has been working to rehabilitate land and promote economic development. The Climate Sensitive Innovations for Land Management (CLM) programme supports the Ethiopian Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) in creating a political framework that enables climate-sensitive, environmentally-sound land management. Evidence-based policy advice to and ownership by local communities are key ingredients to the success of this programme.

Objective

The effectiveness of the agricultural advisory for planning and implementing sustainable land management measures in Ethiopia is improved in institutions and communities as well as in state and the national government.

Lake Chamo. Submerged trees in Lake Chamo. Copyright: GIZ / Britta Petersen.

Approach

The programme is divided into four components:

  • Component 1 promotes evidence-based policy advice to the MoA. The aim is to identify opportunities and obstacles for climate-sensitive and gender-equitable land management. Studies on the impact of natural resources management (NRM), livestock grazing management and on the role of women in agriculture are being conducted in order to support policy formulation as well as monitoring and evaluation of existing measures.
  • Component 2 improves the ability of community-based organisations in selected watersheds to develop participatory land-use plans with a focus on women and youth. Local innovations are facilitated through knowledge exchange and peer learning at community level.
  • Component 3 follows a landscape approach that complements sustainable land management efforts around Lake Chamo. The aim is to protect the lake from the effects of soil erosion and eutrophication. The creation of a multi-stakeholder platform supplements traditional SLM measures and serves as a pilot to safeguard other great lakes in Ethiopia.
  • Component 4 supports the creation of a digital training system for the Agricultural Extension Service of Ethiopia in order to provide Development Agents (DA) with up-to-date knowledge on land management to educate farmers. Private sector providers are commissioned to develop training material that enables an interactive e-learning experience.

Last update: January 2023

Meeting of farmers. Copyright: GIZ.