Socio-economic circumstances at the Kabe
Watershed Pilot Project in Ethiopia, 2011-
2013
Fikru Assefa (Wollo University)
Workshop on the lessons and success stories from a
pilot project on climate change adaptation
interventions in Kabe watershed, south Wollo,
Ethiopia, Addis Ababa, 11-12 February 2013

1. Introduction
 Rainfall variability and unpredictable rainfall pattern are common
features of Kabe watershed and the surrounding areas.
 Land degradation and food insecurity are challenges for most
community members at Kabe watershed.
 Access to input and output market, credit and information on
climate change adaptation interventions are important issues at the
watershed.
 The objectives of the study were to establish a comprehensive
multisectoral information base about local status of socio-economic
elements of the community, identify main challenges in the area,
climate change indicators, climate change adaptation strategies,
available & potentials resources and social & economic services.
2

2. Methods/approaches
Sources of data:
Primary sources:
Structured
questionnaire with
150 HHs
Secondary sources:
Physical observation of
different practices
3

3. Findings
 Average family size of the sample HHs is 5.
 More than half of the sample population are at productive
working age category.
 43.87% of populations are illiterate whereas 0.9% of the
population are greater than grade 12.
 Average land holding 0.93ha.
 91% rain-fed land & 9% irrigated land (Traditional irrigation
schemes) and there is conflict on water for irrigation.
 About 77.6% of respondents access seed from the market on
cash basis.
 Nearly 72.7% of the HHs have on average 1.12 local cows and
60.7% of HHs have on average 1.4 local of oxen. This infers that a
lot of households don’t have a pair of oxen for plowing their farm.
4

Feed shortage (48%) and diseases (44%) are critical problems for
the livestock sector.
 81.3% of the farmers replied that annual product produced from
their farm land could not cover the food requirements of their
families.
 48% of the sample farmers attempted to have credit services
while more than half of the sample farmers were not interested to it.
 Rate of increment of the climatic change has been greater since
the last five years as confirmed by 42.7% of the households.
 Off-farm activities are so minimal because of shortage of money
(68.4%), shortage of time (19.3%), shortage of place (1.8%) and labor
shortage (8.8%).
5

4. Conclusions/recommendations
 The awareness of farmers about improved climate change
adaptation interventions should be enhanced through training
and experience exchange visits.
 Water harvesting techniques need to be expanded as water for
irrigation is inadequate to fulfill the demand of the
communities that inhabited at the upstream, midstream and
downstream side of the watershed.
 Access to input and market to the output should be improved
so as to enhance climate change adaption capacities of the
watershed communities.
6

4. Conclusions/recommendations
 The awareness of farmers about improved climate change
adaptation interventions should be enhanced through training
and experience exchange visits.
 Water harvesting techniques need to be expanded as water for
irrigation is inadequate to fulfill the demand of the
communities that inhabited at the upstream, midstream and
downstream side of the watershed.
 Access to input and market to the output should be improved
so as to enhance climate change adaption capacities of the
watershed communities.
6