Sustainable Land Management (SLM)

GENERAL INFORMATION AND MAIN OBJECTIVE

Commissioned by German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) Co-financed by European Union (EU) Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (DFATD)

Implementing GIZ organisation KfW Development Bank

Partner organisation Ethiopian Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) Current phase 01/2012 – 12/2014

Budget EUR 65 million • BMZ: EUR 42.7 million • EU: EUR 8.5 million • DFATD: CAD 19.57 million (approx. EUR 13.8 million)

Objective The programme is part of a nationwide strategy for sustainable land management. Its objective is to reduce land degradation and to improve food security in the rural highlands of Tigray, Amhara and Oromia. Measures taken also contribute to strengthening small holder farmers’ resilience against the impacts of climate change.

Implemented by: Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada

Affaires étrangères, Commerce et Développement Canada

CHALLENGE

Food insecurity is a risk faced by the rural population in the three Ethiopian highland regions of Amhara, Oromia and Tigray – home to more than half of the country’s population. The situation is characterised by several factors: high population pressure on the fragile natural resources, inadequate farming practices and overgrazing of pastures are leading to massive deforestation, reduced soil fertility and soil erosion. Crop yields and agricultural productivity are declining as a result. The effects of climate change are exacerbating the problem.

OUR APPROACH

Technical and financial cooperation are complementary in their approach to stabilise the target groups’ natural resource base, increase the availability of water, improve soil fertility and ultimately increase agricultural productivity. Both are supporting the Ethiopian government’s nationwide strategy for sustainable land management.The technical cooperation strengthens the capacities of the partners by provision of demand-driven advisory services and training. Also, the cooperation sustains institutional structures and enhances technical implementation competence on federal, regional and district levels. The intervention focuses on soil and water conservation, integrated farming methods and income-generating measures along value chains. Trainings are provided with regard to project management and methodological approaches for participatory rural development. With regard to participatory rural development, the forests in and adjacent to watersheds are of special importance. Together with the communities GIZ-experts develop plans for a sustainable management and use of those forests.

PROGRAMME IMPACTS

• 180,000 hectares of degraded land have been rehabilitated for productive use by applying sustainable farming methods like for instance terracing, crop rotation, improvement of pastures and permanent plant coverage. Some 194,000 households are benefitting from these measures.

• The area of irrigated land used by smallholder farmers has increased to 1,800 hectares since 2008. Users have increased their productivity and income as a result.

• The partners’ planning and implementation capacities have improved. 678 watershed development plans were elaborated and are now being implemented with full participation of the target group.

• Institutional capacities at local level and the target groups’ level of ownership have significantly improved. About 60,000 small holder farmers and small producers are now organised in 500 local user groups managing watersheds with sustainable methods.

ImprintDeutsche Gesellschaft für

KfWInternationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH

Registered offices: Bonn and Eschborn

German Development Cooperation OfficeP.O. Box 100009, Addis Ababa, EthiopiaT +251 11 5180 200F +251 11 5540 764

Photos: GIZ archives © GIZ Updated: February 2014