Project description

Title: Sustainable Land Management Programme
Client: German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
Country: Ethiopia
Lead executing agency: Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development
Overall term: 2005 to 2015 (planned)

Context

In the three regions of Amhara, Oromia and Tigray, some 10 million people are affected by food insecurity. The reasons for this are an increase in population growth and the inappropriate use of available resources, as well as natural disasters, such as drought and land degradation. German development cooperation has been active in Ethiopia for several decades, with numerous natural resource management and food security projects. German support for Ethiopia's Sustainable Land Management Programme (SLM) started in January 2009. For the scaling up of successful new practices, the programme is now building on lessons learned from an earlier programme, the Sustainable utilisation of natural resources (SUN).

Objective

Food security has increased and land degradation has been reduced in the targeted rural highlands of Tigray, Amhara and Oromia.

Approach

The strategy, developed jointly with the Ethiopian Government, is to reduce soil erosion while intensifying agricultural production using appropriate technologies. At the same time, the programme is introducing new species and technologies to help diversify agricultural production. It also distributes energy-saving stoves which allow wood and other biomass to be used more economically. SLM particularly supports individual initiatives taken by the rural population to overcome their general dependency on external assistance.

The programme consists of three major components:

• Improving conditions for the scaling up of successful, innovative approaches and methods for SLM
• Increasing agricultural productivity and incomes in targeted areas (including support for HIV/AIDS prevention and gender equality)
• Developing approaches and methods for SLM and the efforts to scale up the new practices.

GTZ works closely with KfW Entwicklungsbank and the German Development Service (DED). The Shell Foundation and the Netherlands Directorate General for International Cooperation (DGIS) also provide financial support for the distribution of the energy-saving stoves.

Further information

• Trekking in Ethiopa
  Hiking and Horse Riding in the Bale Mountains
  www.baletrek.com
• Wenchi Eco-Tourism Association (WETA)
  www.wenchi-crater-lake.com