Over 85 percent of Ethiopia’s communities’ livelihoods rely on rain-fed agriculture and are highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. About 8.2 million people are already considered ‘chronically’ food insecure. Women dwelling in marginal areas and pastoral communities are especially vulnerable to this problem. This project aspires to organize rural women’s groups from pastoral and marginal communities on participatory land use management to practice integrative farming systems on farmland areas and ecosystem restoration activities on communal land with an integrated landscape management approach.
Background
Rural women are more affected by drought than men because they rely on natural resources for energy sources and water accessibility, are more responsible for feeding their families, and have reduced capacity to move due to childcare. This project is planned to organize a rural women‘s group of 40–50 members on watershed conservation and integrative farming around their home gardens to improve their economic and social
capacity, ecosystem services for the area, political decisions, and empowerment on the land tenure system. They have weekly meetings organized by a self-help group to benefit economically and develop their social assets. There are also efforts to link them with local microfinance institutions to obtain credit services.
Gursum District lies in the Oromia state of Ethiopia, approximately 600 kilometers east of the capital, and shares a border with the Ethio-Somali regional state. The area‘s agroecology is characterized by Kola and Woyna Dega, posing significant challenges, especially for pastoral communities and smallholder farmers, due to frequent droughts. Women, in particular, are vulnerable to the adverse effects on their livelihoods caused by these conditions.
To address this challenge, the adoption of a dual approach is proposed focusing on SLM and the economic advancement of women‘s groups.
These initiatives aim to build climate resilience, promote livelihood development, and play a crucial role in ecological conservation. By implementing climate-smart agriculture, agroforestry, improved water management, and other sustainable practices, the impacts of droughts can be mitigated and degraded lands restored, ensuring a more sustainable future for Gursum District.
Actions taken
Firstly, the project implemented on-farm conservation and development work through an integrated farming system approach. This approach combines various agricultural activities, such as crop cultivation, livestock rearing, fishery, and apiculture, on the same farm. By diversifying activities, farms become more resilient, less vulnerable to volatility, and contribute positively to ecological restoration. Secondly, we concentrate on communal land areas at watershed and landscape levels, engaging in ecosystem restoration activities. The goal is to restore degraded land to functional ecosystems by enhancing biodiversity, ecological niche, water capacity potential, soil fertility, and biomass increment. Activities include soil and water conservation, silvo-pastoral practices, agri-silvo culture, rotational grazing, area closure, tree planting, and integrated water harvesting management.
The role of women in SLM is crucial in East Africa, particularly in Ethiopia. Women play a significant role in managing agricultural land (including irrigation areas, water harvesting, farmland, and settlements) and communal land (e.g. forest land, wetlands, and grasslands). SLM involves utilizing land and water resources, including soil, animals, and plants, to produce goods, meeting human needs while ensuring the long-term productivity of these resources and maintaining their environmental functions.
Women champions:
Ferdahusa, a 35-year-old mother of three residing in Degahale village, Gursum woreda, Oromia regional state, Ethiopia, is one of the beneficiaries of the “Integrated Landscape Management and Food Security” project. Formerly reliant on selling local tea and coffee, Ferdahusa faced financial hardship, exacerbated by her lack of farmland and dependence on low-income activities. However, by introducing the project‘s gender based socio-economic strategies and objectives, Ferdahusa seized the opportunity to engage in alternative income-generating activities. Joining the community gender team, she ventured into small-scale agriculture, renting 0.5 hectares of farmland in the Fafen River valley and initially focusing on onion production. With support from the project, including technical guidance and inputs like a solar water pump and seeds, Ferdahusa expanded her agricultural endeavors, eventually renting additional land and diversifying her produce to include vegetables. Within months, her income saw a remarkable increase, enabling her to construct a new residential house valued at ETB 830,000 and open a vegetable seed distribution shop. Additionally, she accumulated over ETB 900,000 in savings. Ferdahusa‘s transformation underscores the project‘s impact in empowering women and enhancing livelihoods in rural communities like hers.
Outcomes
Economic Empowerment of Women
- Women organized into rural self-help groups (40–50 members each), strengthening economic capacity through integrated farming and access to microfinance.
- Example: Ferdahusa, a project beneficiary, transitioned from selling tea/coffee to onion and vegetable farming with project support. Outcomes included:
- Renting farmland and adopting climate-smart irrigation (solar water pump).
- Diversified production (vegetables, seeds) leading to significant income growth.
- Built a residential house worth ETB 830,000.
- Opened a vegetable seed shop and accumulated ETB 900,000 in savings.
Improved Livelihoods & Resilience
- Integrated farming system adopted (crops, livestock, apiculture, fisheries) → diversified income sources reduced vulnerability to drought.
- Women’s groups linked to microfinance → improved access to credit and livelihood security.
- Household food security strengthened by sustainable land use practices and diversified production.
Ecological & Land Restoration
- Ecosystem restoration on communal land at watershed and landscape levels.
- Activities included:
- Soil & water conservation
- Silvo-pastoral and agroforestry practices
- Rotational grazing and area closure
- Tree planting and water harvesting
- The outcomes of this was improved soil fertility, water retention, biodiversity, and biomass growth.
Social & Political Empowerment
- Weekly self-help group meetings strengthened social capital and community organization.
- Women gained confidence and influence in local decision-making and land tenure systems.
- Women recognized as central actors in Sustainable Land Management (SLM), shifting traditional gender norms.
Gender Equality Progress
- Project addressed systemic barriers such as land tenure inequality, limited access to resources, and cultural gender norms.
- Enabled women to participate in environmental conservation and local governance.
- Promoted gender-sensitive policy advocacy and integration into land use management.
Broader Impacts
- Strengthened climate resilience of rural communities in drought-prone areas.
- Promoted ecological conservation while improving livelihoods.
- Demonstrated a replicable model of linking gender equality, sustainable land management, and drought resilience.
Lessons Learned
Integrating women into sustainable land management (SLM) and farming systems enhances both climate resilience and household food security.
- Linking rural women’s groups with microfinance services creates pathways for economic empowerment and long-term livelihood development.
- Diversified income sources—through integrated farming, livestock rearing, and agroforestry—reduce vulnerability to drought and improve ecological restoration.
- Addressing land tenure issues and gender disparities is essential for women’s full participation in conservation and decision-making.
- Community-based self-help groups and cooperatives strengthen women’s social assets, leadership roles, and ability to scale up sustainable practices.
