Improving food security and catastrophe risk management to strengthen the resilience in Afar, Ethiopia

projekt beendet

ContextThe lowlands of Ethiopia’s Afar Regional State are one of the least developed parts of the country. 48 per cent of the region’s land consists of marginal soils; the rest is largely dry savannah. Annual temperatures range from 25° to 50° Celsius, while rainfall rarely exceeds 300 millimetres and is highly variable, both in quantity and geographical distribution. The Afar Region has a population of almost 1.5 million people, over half of whom live below the absolute poverty line. The region has some of the lowest development indicators in the country, including high infant mortality rates, child stunting and the highest proportion of underweight children in Ethiopia (36 per cent). Afar people derive their livelihood either entirely from pastoral livestock farming or from a combination of crop and livestock farming. However, traditional pastoral and agro-pastoral systems are under increasing pressure, due mainly to population growth and climate change. The increasing frequency of extreme, climate related weather events such as droughts, floods and related disasters have an increasingly adverse impact on food security, hygiene and health.ObjectiveThe capacity of the population and the stakeholder institutions to secure productive livelihoods and food for the long term is increased. Resistance to climate-induced weather extremes is improved.ApproachThe Transitional Aid Measure: Improving Food Security and Disaster Risk Management to Enhance Resilience in Afar (IFTAR) project is part of the programme for Strengthening Drought Resilience in Arid and Semi-Arid Lowlands of Ethiopia (SDR-ASAL). It operates in eight woredas (districts) of Afar and focuses on three fields of activity:- Water and Hygiene: IFTAR aims to improve access to water as well as water quality by introducing collective filter systems. Campaigns to raise awareness of the importance of clean water and hygiene supplement the construction measures and encourage safer food preparation, storage and utilisation.- Food and Nutrition Security: IFTAR aims to improve access to food and fodder by creating and managing tree nurseries and tree protection zones, as well as by promoting the sale of local products such as fruit from trees, forage grasses and meat. The project also aims to improve food utilisation by providing information and training on nutrition and care practices.- Disaster Risk Management: In addition to advising the regional Disaster Preparedness and Prevention Committee (DPPC), the project helps to ensure that the population is better protected against drought, flood, livestock disease and other threats through radio-based warnings and recommendations for action.Results85,000 people have improved access to drinking water, 43,600 people (25,600 women) have been reached with improved sanitation measures and WaSH trainings, 3,500 people have improved nutrition diversity, four water spreading weirs constructed to protect infrastructure such as roads and bridges, four boreholes are rehabilitated and equipped with solar pumps, benefitting 10,000 people (45 per cent women) 14 birkats (cisterns) have been rehabilitated, including the creation of water user groups for each location. In addition, in 2017 another 45,000 people have been supplied with emergency water provision. Four community-based nurseries have been established producing planting material for established Community groups. DPPC has been supported with disaster related assessments.

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