Mohammed lives in Ethiopia’s remote Dello Mena district with his wife, Rukiya and their children. Most people in this region are pastoralists, so they rely heavily on selling livestock and animal products to earn a living.
Mohammed owned four cows and 15 goats. But the land was over-grazed, and his animals did not have enough to eat. Farm Africa has helped him and his fellow livestock keepers to form the Hurufa Dero Rangeland Management co-operative. We have been working with the members to implement simple systems that keep the grazing land in good condition. Rangeland is now strictly rotated, and at regular intervals it is protected from grazing livestock, so that there is plenty of time for the grasses to re-generate.
Mohammed has been able to buy more cows, as there is now enough forage for them to eat. Now his cows are well fed, they produce much more milk than before, a lot of which is drunk by his family. His cows are also healthy enough to produce calves which Mohammed will sell at the market providing much-needed income.