Building climate resilience for pastoral communities

Forests in Ethiopia’s Bale Eco-region are under threat from deforestation and biodiversity loss due to agricultural expansion. This exacerbates the impacts of climate change and puts the livelihoods of rural communities at risk.

With funding from the UBS Optimus Foundation, Farm Africa is supporting pastoral communities in the Bale Eco-region to build stronger, more resilient futures. By equipping farmers with tools to withstand climate extremes and economic shocks and improving how the region’s forests, rangelands and water resources are managed, the project is helping both communities and nature to thrive.

We are training farmers and rural communities to restore and protect rangelands in the lowlands, which reduces their reliance on forests in the highlands for pasture and water for their livestock. This relief eases pressure on forests and promotes more sustainable livelihoods.

By revitalising rangelands, the project is also conserving biodiversity in a region that is home to an array of unique species of threatened animals and plants.