Farm Africa wins award for REDD+ project in Bale Eco-region, Ethiopia

15 June 2023

We are very proud to announce our first-place win at the Consortium of Christian Relief & Development Association Good Practice Day in Addis Ababa.

Together with our incredible partners, SOS Sahel Ethiopia, we were recognised for our outstanding work in Ethiopia’s Bale Eco-region.

In this region, deforestation has posed a serious threat as forests are cleared for firewood and converted into farmland. The implications are dire, affecting both local communities and the millions relying on the region's water resources.

However, between 2012 and 2019, with the introduction of our REDD+ project, funded by the Royal Norwegian Embassy to Ethiopia, we achieved an impressive 58% reduction in deforestation. This remarkable achievement has safeguarded over 25,000 hectares of precious forest and prevented the release of 10.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.

The project worked to increase local communities’ ability to earn money from the forest while protecting its resources for future generations.

Together with partners, Farm Africa developed economic opportunities for women, young people, and forest enterprises to earn a living from sustainable activities such as the production and marketing of forest products such as wild coffee and the development of climate-smart agricultural enterprises.

The project aimed to improve the livelihoods of over 350,000 people living in Bale and protect the delivery of ecosystem services to 12 million people living beyond Bale’s borders. We also helped the government to find long-term ways to preserve Ethiopia’s forests.

Impressive climate achievements have made Bale a global example in combating deforestation and reducing emissions.

Farm Africa and SOS Sahel Ethiopia are now building on the success of the REDD+ project with the implementation of Forests for Sustainable Development, a major four-year programme in the Oromia Regional State of Ethiopia, also funded by the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The programme aims to reduce deforestation, cutting carbon emissions, increasing the incomes of forest-dependent communities, and addressing sustainability limitations.