Improving the livelihoods of pastoralists and agropastoralists in the lowlands of Ethiopia

Context

Over 15 million people live in the arid and semi-arid lowlands of Afar, Somali, Oromia and South Ethiopia regions. Most of them are pastoralists and agropastoralists whose livelihoods mainly depend on livestock farming and some crop production. A growing population and the impacts of climate change put these areas under unprecedented pressure. Land degradation and extreme weather events such as droughts and floods lead to soil erosion, the loss of biodiversity and decline of resilience to shocks. Land degradation manifests in these areas through the formation of dry valleys. The rehabilitation and productive use of these dry valleys provides an opportunity to enhance community resilience. However, the inadequate institutional and technical foundations for the sustainable and productive dry valleys rehabilitation and management remain a challenge.

Objective

The sustainable and productive management of dry valleys by pastoralists and agropastoralists in the Ethiopian lowlands is enhanced.

Approach

The project assists Ethiopian partners to build their institutional, technical, and operational capacities to the sustainable and productive management of dry valleys and adjacent land. This is to strengthen drought resilience of pastoralists and agropastoralists in the Ethiopian lowlands.

The project implements the Dry Valley Rehabilitation and Productive Use (DVRPU) approach, which has a particular focus on applying new technologies and involving local communities. The management models of this approach have been refined so that partner institutions can apply it in the future.

The measures in Somali region are cofinanced by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). Specific focuses are including internally displaced persons (IDP) and promoting gender equality.

Last update: December 2023