Specific expertise
Rangeland management
In eastern Africa, pastoralism is a way of life for many rural communities, who graze their herds of animals in drylands. We help pastoralists to protect both their livestock, which are generally a family’s most valuable asset, and the grazing lands on which they depend.
Eastern Africa’s drylands are home to millions of pastoralists and agro-pastoralists who migrate with their herds of livestock seeking water and grazing.
However, climate change, increasing populations and deforestation have reduced the availability of water and grass and led to overgrazing, causing rangelands to dry up and degrade.
Farm Africa helps develop collaborative agreements for the sustainable management of rangelands that enable communities to restore degraded grazing lands while developing environmentally friendly ways of earning a living.
Our integrated approach encompasses increasing communities’ access to water, markets, animal health services, fodder and breeding services, as well as introducing rotational grazing and grass harvesting systems that reduce pressure on overburdened grazing lands.
Improving access to water
Severe droughts are putting intense pressure on pastoral communities, who must drive their cattle long distances in search of water. It is not unusual for people to spend six hours a day fetching water.
Farm Africa helps pastoral communities to adapt to the changing climate by building community ponds that supply water for people and livestock. The impact has been so life-changing it inspired one community in the Bale Eco-region of Ethiopia to name their pond ‘Lubbu Dekeb’, which means ‘lifesaver’.
Participatory rangeland management cooperatives
We’re helping pastoral and agro-pastoralist communities organise into cooperatives and develop land use agreements with national parks and local governments.
For example, in exchange for taking responsibility for the sustainable management of a defined tract of rangeland, a cooperative may secure the right to harvest and sell the abundant grass that results.
Training in fodder production
We support agro-pastoralists to reduce their herds’ reliance on open grazing by learning how to produce fodder (natural animal feed).
Besides providing an alternative food source for the producer’s own livestock, the fodder can be sold. This helps agro-pastoralists to increase their incomes as well as provide a source of fodder for others.
Improving herd productivity
Increasing the productivity of herds rather than increasing the number of animals reared is a way for pastoralists to increase their incomes without increasing pressure on grazing lands.
Farm Africa supports communities to cross-breed local livestock with high-yielding breeds of livestock using artificial insemination. This means they can boost milk and meat production while preserving drought-resilient traits.
Animal health services
Healthy herds are more productive. We offer training and support so local people can develop careers as community animal health workers and agri-vet suppliers, creating job opportunities and establishing a lasting network of expertise to serve pastoral and agro-pastoral communities.
A landscape-scale approach
Recognising the interconnectedness of landscapes, we work with communities to ensure land use practices in one locality don’t have a negative impact on those living elsewhere.
For example, in the mountainous Bale Eco-region of Ethiopia, lowland pastoralist communities rely on the streams that flow down from the forests for their water supply, but upland communities rely on the forest for their livelihood.
Unsustainable use of forest resources in uplands disrupts water flow, causing desertification in lowland rangelands. This forces pastoralists to drive livestock into the lush upland forest, putting more pressure on forest resources.
To break the destructive cycle, we work at landscape scale to develop holistic, community-based resource management strategies for watersheds.
Resources
Reviving nature’s symphony: the triumph of participatory rangeland management in transforming a degraded landscape
More info
Country
Ethiopia
Key focus areas
Act on climate change
Increase food security and nutrition
Protect ecosystems
Reviving nature’s symphony: the triumph of participatory rangeland management in transforming a degraded landscape
This case story describes the success achieved by a community rangeland management cooperative in restoring degraded grasslands at Ethiopia’s Abijatta-Shalla National Park in the Great Rift Valley. The rapid transformation showcases what can be achieved by combining innovative techniques, collaborative effort and community engagement.
Download (1.95mb)
Country
Ethiopia
Key focus areas
Act on climate change
Increase food security and nutrition
Protect ecosystems
Country
Ethiopia
Key focus areas
Boost productivity
Increase incomes
Protect ecosystems
A greener future on a grand scale: a summary of the Bale Eco-region Phase II project
Ethiopia’s Bale Eco-region is an ecologically critical area and also home to many people who depend on its resources for their livelihood. Since 2014, Farm Africa has been leading a consortium to improve livelihoods in the region while ensuring the ecosystem is protected. The first phase of the project developed a management strategy for the region. Phase II (2019-2024), funded by the European Union, has scaled out the strategy to reach over 1.6 million people. This report summarises those Phase II activities and outcomes.
Download (3.96mb)
Country
Ethiopia
Key focus areas
Boost productivity
Increase incomes
Protect ecosystems
Country
Ethiopia
Key focus areas
Protect ecosystems
Landscape management in the Central Rift Valley
This booklet features 12 stories from the Central Rift Valley Landscape Management project, which ran from 2019 to 2022. Funded by Sida, the project was delivered by a consortium of organisations including Farm Africa (lead), SOS Sahel Ethiopia, International Water Management Institute (IWMI), Population, Health, and Environment Ethiopia Consortium (PHE EC), and Sustainable Environment and Development Action (SEDA).
Download (4.68mb)
Country
Ethiopia
Key focus areas
Protect ecosystems