Capacity Development for Strengthened Drought Resilience in the Ethiopian Lowlands (CDSDR)

projekt beendet

ChallengeOver 7 million people live in the Afar and Somali Regions in Ethiopia; most of them are pastoralists and agro-pastoralists who depend on semi-mobile livestock for their livelihoods. Although economic and social systems have adapted well to local conditions for centuries, they are currently under pressure. This is mainly due to population growth and the impact of climate change, as well as the increasing frequency and severity of droughts and floods. Overgrazing, erosion, deforestation and loss of soil fertility in connection with conflicts over resources are therefore major challenges for the traditional way of life. The Afar and Somali regions are referred to as "Emerging Regions with limited Capacities". In development strategies, the consideration of the specific characteristics of the semi-mobile lifestyles of the Afar and Somali clans and the harsh ecological lowland conditions remain a challenge.ObjectiveState and non-state actors together with pastoral and agro-pastoral communities, have created the conceptual foundations for the rehabilitation and use of dry valleys.ApproachThe Ethiopian government has approved a cross-sectoral policy to end drought emergencies in the Ethiopian lowlands, called the 'Country Programming Paper (CPP)'. The project Capacity Development to Strengthen Drought Resilience in the Lowlands of Ethiopia supports the successful implementation of this policy.The project is the core project of the Strengthening Drought Resilience in Arid and Semi-Arid Lowlands Programme (SDR-ASAL), consisting of seven sub-projects. These projects develop jointly an integrated approach to strengthen drought resilience of pastoral and agro-pastoral communities in the Ethiopian lowlands through the rehabilitation of dry valleys and their productive use (DVRPU). The approach developed so far is still systemically incomplete. The technology functions well while corresponding management models partially exist, and stakeholders lack the capacity for independent implementation.The so far developed approach for the effective and sustainable rehabilitation and use of degraded land in dry valleys of the Ethiopian lowlands will be further deepened and anchored at the regional and national level. For this purpose, technical, economic and organisational elements are tested, and the resulting experience is processed into models allowing implementation through third parties. These models provide the foundation upon which a DVRPU concept can emerge and be widely disseminated at the regional and national level. Within the partner organisations, the necessary capacities will be further supported to allow an implementation of the approach through them. In addition, innovative technologies will be tested like the use of unmanned aerial systems for planning, implementation and supervision of rehabilitation measures.Results-The elements of the elaborated DVRPU approach are tested for their technical, economic and organisational suitability;-The DVRPU approach is designed and disseminated for use by the target groups;-The capacities of the advisory system in Afar and Somali have been extended to provide advice to target groups;-The capacities of the DVRPU-relevant education and training institutions and service providers have been extended to target groups.

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