Shaping land management and climate action in Ethiopia

Context

Three quarters of the population of Ethiopia live from agriculture, which plays a major role in economic growth and food security.

Since 2008, the Government in Addis Abeba has been working with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and international cooperation to rehabilitate the country and promote economic development.

The project increases the capacity of Ethiopia’s Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) and other partner institutions to design and implement natural resource management programmes in the country’s midlands and highlands.

Objective

It also improves the planning and implementation of environmentally friendly land management in Ethiopia through the country’s agricultural extension services.

Approach

The project consists of four components which address key points within the Ministry of Agriculture’s organisational system:

1. Promote evidence-based policy advice by commissioning agricultural studies and developing natural resource management strategies.
2. Support local organisations to develop and implement land use plans under their own responsibility and to involve women and young people. This also promotes knowledge-sharing between communities.
3. Develop a long-term strategy to protect Lake Chamo that considers not only resource protection but also the circumstances and prospects of the population and the lakeside economy. The strategy will serve as a model for protecting other lakes in Ethiopia.
4. Create a digital training system for the agricultural extension service, which keeps farmers in touch with the latest information and techniques in their field. Private education providers are commissioned to develop training materials that provide an interesting and interactive learning experience.

Last update: July 2023