This document summarizes the efforts of a community in Tigray, Ethiopia to combat desertification and food insecurity through environmental rehabilitation. The community implemented three interconnected interventions: soil erosion control through structures like bunds and check dams, water harvesting, and exclosure to restore vegetation. These efforts improved soil and water availability, leading to higher crop yields. Community members constructed hundreds of kilometers of erosion control structures, diversified crops and incomes. As a result, the community achieved food and water security, economic opportunities, and environmental recovery where desertification had previously threatened to force resettlement. The document emphasizes that community innovation and women's involvement were key to this successful adaptation process.

1. Tigray,
Ethiopia

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3. Ethiopia
 The destruction of Ethiopia’s forests
escalated due to Climate change & man
made factors
 Followed by people migrating, and cutting
of forests to feed their families.
A flash flood
damages
 Ground water reserves failed
farm land
To refill, flash floods washed
away valuable farmland &
caused gullies through farm

4. Background
 Abraha Atsbaha village is located 45 km
north-east of Mekelle,Tigray Highlands in
which sandstone is exposed.
 The community had experienced recurrent crop
failure and received relief assistance for many
years.
Naked
Hills
 Desertification, soil
degradation and lack of water, put
the village on verge of resettlement

5. Process-what the community did
 They worked on three interconnected
interventions: soil erosion control, water
harvesting and exclosure .
 Tree planting activities have resulted in
improved soil quality, higher crop yield,
groundwater functioning, and flood
prevention.
 They constructed small dams, created
water catchment ponds, and built
trenches and bunds to restore
groundwater functioning.

6. Process Cont..
 The effort that this community has expended on
erosion control measures is absolutely
astounding.
 They initially built hundreds of kilometers of soil
and stone bunds to slow the flow of water down
hills.
Community
members building
stone bunds
trench bunds, usually
1-1.5m deep to capture
water

7. ‘Gullies as an opportunity for water
harvesting’ (benefits from the loss)
Gully as a threat before treatment
Check dam location
Gully as an opportunity
after treatment

8. Process -achievement
check dam
prevents erosion =
irrigation
Reafforstation with
naturally occurring
species
Sample shallow
well

9. Addressing possible consequences: Enrichment
Trench bunds enriching
the ” water bank”
raising the water table
Half moon water
harvesting technique
for planting of fruit
trees
Area closure-reinventing the
forest
Contour bunds
enable terracefarming on slopes
while preventing
erosion

10. Process-achievement
Family farm
Drip Irrigation
irrigate the plant
not the soil
Hills Before
Intervention
Hills
Now

11. Result of the process
Women
with her
fruits
Aba Hawi with his
family in his
Garden
Community
initiated
Museum
using ICT
center
Crop
diversity
Honey bee
business
Priests
blessing a
community
gathering
Potato
seed store

12. Coffee plantation of the
community

13. Women headed family benefiting
from irrigation

14. Improvement in social service
and housing/ health center/

15. Environmental friendly school

16. Personal and environmental
hygiene

17. Abreha Weatsebeha: a Winner of two International prizes
(2012)
http://vimeo.com/45706418

18. Making the impossible possible/
Initiated Amazon dam

19. Having water every where sustain
development

20. Women in Ethiopia ( Tigray)
 Women bear most of the
burden in activities impacted
by an adverse climate
 Women are not just victims
due to their vulnerability; they
are also key active agents of
adaptation.
 It is due to their involvement
in climate sensitive work such
as farming, forestry
and fisheries.

21. Struggling for access to water: being part of the
solution for climate change adaptation
And it paid
Women challenging
the rock
off!!!

22. low-external-input and
ecologically sustainable
innovation
Construction of beehive from local materials
Partitioning of cooking
pans for saving energy
Locally
developed
drip irrigation

23. The synergetic effect: Fast track initiative
Evaluation
Seed multiplication
LSB
project
PPB Trials
SSD project
Diverse genotypes
for multiplication

24. Diversity on the field
and on the table –
preventing hidden
hunger

25. Better access to food through
new sources of income
Food Sources
used by women-

26. Women: key for seed/varietal Selection
production & processing

27. Scaling-up fields at Ayba and
Simret Joint evaluation -2011

28. Technology Exchange Vs
Technology Transfer
3 high yielding Climate
resilient barely varieties
released (07-11)
1. Felamit (waterloggng tolerant): 1st
released FDV (Farmer Developed Variety), six
row, water logging resistant, high yielding
(Farmer co-owner
Transgresive segregants
2. Fetina (SxH 182): Early maturing
two row, white seeded & early matuing released for
quality ( High Zn, Fe and Betaglutin,Dehisent
3 Hiriti (SxH 1.06): high potential areas
six row, white seeded, high yielding
Fetina (SxH 182)

29. Barley in Ethiopia (Tigray)

30. Synergy: Value addition: women
coop

31. Sugar free biscut from sorghum, FM
& barley: NAS

32. Adapting New crop to own food style: potato
based food products: by women coop

33. Access for information & Documentation
innovation (FLD)…
 Women farmer(Ms.Million) was trained in
documenting innovation i.e photographing
W/ro Million taking
photo of another
innovative family(
daughter and father
being trained grafting
by the mother)

34. Environmental rehabilitation and
bio diversity enhancement

35. In conclusion
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
“Resilience is not an outcome of any particular
technology but rather the outcome of an increased
capacity to adapt”.
This experience need to be scaled up
support to this innovative capacity through
Partnership
among
stakeholders,
donors,
researchers, policy makers etc
Build on local implementing capacity by targeting
the right group and institutes rather than rejecting
them of not being able to collaborate
Women and Women’s Networks involved in NRM
should be recognized as principal stakeholders

36. Thank you