More

than rain:

Climate Change Risks, Vulnerability and Adaptation measures in Tigray Communities, Ethiopia

he changing climate is increasingly having

disastrous effects on people around the
world. In some regions this implies heavier
rainfall, in others it leads to more frequent and
extreme periods of drought. The growing instability
and unpredictability of the climate conditions hit
farmers and those dependent on natural resources
for their livelihoods hardest. The Ethiopian people
have already experienced many difficult changes in
the local farming cycle and have been struggling to
overcome the changing conditions.

This document is based on studies made of local

climate change in the Tigray region of Ethiopia, how
the climate affects local communities and how they
are adapting to climate stress. Severe, long lasting
droughts have occurred, and also some events of
flooding in relation to intense rainfall. A shorter
rainy season and such climate variability represent
major challenges for the population. The adaptation
strategies of local farmers in Tigray, northern
Ethiopia, teach us important lessons for future
climate strategies both in Ethiopia and elsewhere.

Ethiopia - a country of ancestral heritage

Ethiopia is a landlocked country bordering Sudan, Somalia, Kenya,
Djibouti and Eritrea. It is the second most populated country in Africa,
with more that 75 million inhabitants. With altitudes ranging from 125
meters below sea level to 4533 meters above sea level, three climatic
zones can be found within Ethiopia - the cool, the temperate and the
hot zone. The country is generally dry, and has suffered numerous
catastrophic droughts. This limits food production and agricultural
activities. However, Ethiopia is a large producer and exporter of coffee,
and also cultivates cereals, pulses and oil seeds among other things.
With its varieties of ethnic groups and ecological zones, Ethiopia has for
a long time had to adjust and adapt to a range of climatic changes
such as droughts and floods, as well as environmental degradation
and failing land and resource management during conflicts. Since the
1970s Ethiopia has also been marked by armed conflicts, internal and
external, which has signifcantly influenced the daily life of its inhabitants.

Study area

The study was conducted in Tigray Regional

State with specific field data from Kolla Tembien
and Abergele districts. Four watersheds located in
four tabias (i.e. the lowest official administrative unit
in Ethiopia) were selected for the documentation
work. The watersheds (see box on watersheds) and
tabias in Kolla Tembien are Shimdrene (in Begasheka
Tabia), Endamariam (in Gelsikimilesiley Tabia)
and Debresebiat (in Workamba Tabia). In Abergele,
Shegalu watershed (located in Enbarufael Tabia) was
visited.

Ethiopia is one of the poorest countries of the world and was ranked
number 169 (out of 177) on the UNDPs Human Developement Index in
2007. Lately the country has experienced economy growth, however
as 48% of the GDP comes from agriculture, future growth is highly
dependent on weather conditions for appropriate for agriculture
production.

Climate Change Risks, Vulnerability and Adaptation measures in Tigray Communities, Ethiopia
Ethiopia (Tigray region in orange)

Climate risks and

local vulnerability

The population in the four watersheds in

Tigray, where this field study was conducted,
is living in climatic conditions which are
generally dry. Severe, long lasting droughts
have occurred, and also some events of
flooding in relation to intense rainfall. The
community recognizes changes from the
past towards more serious droughts and
shorter and more erratic rainy seasons. The
observations are supported by historical
records of weather data, showing that the
rainy season starts later and stops earlier
than before.
People have experienced increased
surface temperature, which is partly due
to deforestation and lack of shade from
trees. Flood has led to significant damages
of farmland and residential houses.
The statistics show increasing average
temperature and declining precipitation.
Together with strong climate variability
and shortening rainy season, these
changes represent major challenges for the
population. In particular more frequent
droughts have contributed to severe impacts
on the livelihoods.
Name of rivers
in Begasheka
Tabia

Before
1950

1951-1974

To date

1. Bamba

Permanent

Temporary: flows
between July and
March

Temporary
but the
volume
of water
increased
a bit

2. Afera

Permanent

Temporary: flows
between July and
January

Temporary

3. Maiwa

Permanent

Flows: July-March

Temporary

4. Giratribae

Permanent

Dried

Dried and
no water

5.
Gezabetekhsyan

Permanent

Dried

Dried and
no water

Source: Focus Group Discussions at Kolla Tembien

Social dimension and peoples perception of climate change

Global warming has created many new
challenges and problems all around the
world. Climate change is predominantly
noticed through changes in weather
patterns, temperatures, amount of
precipitation etc. For many poor
farmers this has a direct impact on their
livelihoods, forcing them to change their
agricultural practices. This change is
neither easy nor cheap, creating more
insecurity for the already marginalized
farmers.
In this analysis we consider past and
current climate stress by looking at
subjective experiences of climatic events.
The experienced climatic variability
and change is crucial in an adaptation
analysis, because the outcomes depend
not only on the meteorological qualities
Environmental
degradation and drought

The Tigray case clearly illustrates

how environmental degradation can
seriously increase vulnerability and
reduce resilience to different types of
stresses. The interactions between the
climatic and the environmental factors
have been so close in this geographic area
that it is difficult to separate them. In the
past, when forest cover was considerably
denser, population pressure on the land
was smaller, the rainy season generally
longer, and water springs and rivers fuller
of water.
The community observed the change
in terms of hot weather condition,
shortened rainy season with heavy
rainfall only for a shorter period,
creating stress to plant growth, soil
degradation and loss of soil fertility
resulting in low productivity. The
incidences of recurrent drought reduced
the production capacities of farmers
and subjected them to food insecurity.
The direct impacts of the droughts, in
combination with the environmental
degradation have lead to a reduction or
total loss of crop yields, serious losses
of livestock, soil degradation and loss
of soil fertility. Drought occurred in
Ethiopia in general and in Tigray in
particular during different years in the
Ethiopian history, as presented in the
table to the right:

of a weather pattern or extreme event,

but on contextual factors that influence
peoples vulnerability and their capacity
to adapt. Thus, a minor drought might
have serious consequences for some,
while others may experience relatively
small consequences of a serious
drought. Such understanding makes
it possible to design measures that
support poor people in their own efforts
and make use of existing strengths and
opportunities. The analyses therefore
argue that adaptation measures
need to move beyond climate risks
and physical adaptation measures, to
include the social context and peoples
perception of climate change, in order
to build their capacity and resilience to
cope with barriers and thresholds.

Decreased water access

The change in climate has resulted in

reduced surface and ground water. In Begasheka
Tabia alone, the community members observe
the decline by the number of permanent rivers
which either has dried up or become temporary
and flow only during the rainy seasons.
Spring water sources were the major
sources of water supply in this Tabia and have
been threatened by the recurrent drought.
Nowadays, the discharge rate of the
spring water supply is improving as a result
of the conservation works, which reduced
the run off and increased infiltration.

Year

Attributed Causes

Impacts

19571958

Rain failure in 1957 with

locust and epidemic in 1958

Not recorded

19641966

Undocumented

Said to be worse than the

1973-1975

19711975

Sequence of rain failures

in many parts of Ethiopia
including Tigray

An estimated 0.25 million

people died. 50% of the
livestock lost in Tigray and
Wollo.

19831985

Sequence of rain failures

in many parts of Ethiopia
including Tigray

All over the country, some

8 million people affected, 1
million died, much of the
livestock lost.

19901992

Rain failure and regional

conflicts

An estimated 4 million
people in the northern,
eastern and southern part
of the country suffered food
shortage.

19931994

Rain failure and armed

conflicts

Some 4 million people in

the country required food
assistance

Source: Webb and Von Braun (), Famine and Food Security in
Ethiopia, IFPRI, pp -.

Economic and social factors

Migration, due to drought, disrupts

normal way of living and has also resulted
in family disintegration. Moreover, the
demand for child labour increases when
the households are short of subsistence.
It was revealed during group discussions
that some people, particularly women,
lost the traditional practice of making
handcrafts due to disappearance of special
grasses they used for that purpose. With
increased natural resource degradation,
access to firewood and water sources
became more difficult and the work load
on women increased.
The rural communities have a traditional
system of mutual support and insurance in
cases of emergencies called Iqqub. Iqqub is
a traditional financial resource mobilization
system where a group of people contribute a
fixed sum of money on a regular interval of
time to give the money to one of the group
members on non-replaceable rotary system.
Every member receive the equivalent sum
at the end of the turn. This system was very
much affected when the production capacity
of the farmers has been reduced by climate
variations such as drought and floods. The
saving culture of the people is also affected
as people could not earn sufficient income
to meet consumption requirement and save
part of their incomes.

Summary of some indicators of climatic change in the Central Tigray

Parameters

Before 1950

1951 - 1974

1975 - 1990

1991- to date

Rainy Period

End of March - Mid October

May to September

May to Mid September

June to early
September

Rainfall
pattern

Even, dense cloud in July

Slightly uneven, starts

late and stops early

More erratic and uneven than before

Rain starts late

and stops early;
extremely erratic

Temperature

Cool climate due to forest, and had

Woina Dega climate; the environment
was conducive for people and livestock

The air became

warmer

The trees were cut, forest cleared;

direct sunshine hitting the ground and
the surface temperature became hot

Hot

Flood

Not common

Rarely occurs

Occurs but not frequent

Slightly occurs

Gully rehabilitation with elephant grass

Political factors

The land redistributions made in

and 1990 were political decisions which
created high tenure insecurity in the
study area. Lack of security of own farm
plots was indicated as a major factor for
the destruction of large numbers of trees.
Hence, tenure insecurity was one of the
big factors of vulnerability. It was indicated
during the group discussions that the
land reform created access to land for the
majority of the farmers in the watershed
though further land redistribution resulted
in land fragmentation and a decline in
farm size.
Conflicts between the Derg and Tigray
Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF) were
one of the major factors which affected
the livelihood of the people in the study
area. This struggle caused major land
degradation. However, the overthrow of the
Derg government in brought peace in
the area.

Health factors

Illness, especially HIV/AIDS among

family members, has a highly adverse effect
on households ability to undertake important
agricultural and domestic activities, and
thus influences their vulnerability towards
stresses such as droughts and other
devastating climatic changes. There are risk
areas for HIV/AIDS in the project districts,
such as in the places where the army is
located, where commercial sex workers are
prevalent, where there are many female
headed families and unemployed people.
The labor force is limited in Tigray, and
therefore the effect of HIV/AIDS is dramatic.

Adaptation through watershed

management in Tigray
Integrated watershed measures

The development intervention is approached

in a watershed basis. The watersheds are defined
on account of topography where water flows
toward a single outlet. Their boundary rarely
coincides with administrative units. The larger
a watershed is, the more administrative entities
are covered. Therefore, a watershed can consist
of parts of a tabia, a full tabia or parts of two
adjacent tabias. The watersheds vary in their
agro-ecological zonation, altitude and rainfall.
The tabia is equivalent to the lowest official
administrative unite in Ethiopia, also known as
the Kebele administration.

Climate Change Risks, Vulnerability and Adaptation measures in Tigray Communities, Ethiopia
Environmental rehabilitation and
livelihood security measures

Soil and water conservation activities are

crucial for stabilizing the equilibrium of the
environment, preventing run-off and reversing
the considerable loss of soil fertility in the
watersheds. This in turn gives raise to improved
agricultural productivity in treated areas. Massive
natural resources rehabilitation on degraded farm
land and hillsides has been implemented using
different Soil and Water Conservation (SWC)
techniques to reduce soil erosion and increase
vegetation cover. Some of the interventions made
to cope with and adapt to the climate change were:
Rehabilitation of gullies, construction
of water-harvesting check dams,
construction of fords and different type of
terraces.
SWC work has been done on farms, in
back yards and on communal land.
Enclosure of degraded communal hill
areas in order to rehabilitate the land
and regenerate the natural forest. This
is mainly done by using Food For Work
and community labour mobilisation. The
area enclosure aims at stabilizing the soil,
natural regeneration of the vegetation,
and reduces erosion which damages the
farmland at the bottom of the hill. It also
has economic benefit by serving as a
source of livestock feed through cut and
carry system and honey production. The
hillsides closure is providing business
opportunity for the landless youth
through tree and honey production.
Plantation of trees on rehabilitated areas
and private plots.
Integrated interventions such as agroforestry works using multipurpose trees
improves soil fertility and supply of fodder.
Check dams used for land reclaiming and
conservation of moisture in the area.

Adaptation through local watershed approach

Building household assets, diversity and flexibility
The watershed approach is a holistic, yet local, approach which considers the most
crucial factors to build assets and resilience to deal with climatic hazards for the
local people. Based on community needs assessments, the project components
are identified. Emphasis is given to conserving and developing the productivity of
the land, water and plant resources by the people falling within the identified microwatershed boundary. All inputs are integrated and attentions given in order to build
the capacity of the project participants to enable them to manage benefits. Local
watershed committees are established and function as a basis for decision-making.
This approach is pursued at three levels and includes:
1. Strategic integration of the three dimensions of food security i.e. availability,
access and utilization.
2. Program activity integration by ensuring all project components are implemented
in a mutually reinforcing way for maximum impact at the household level.
3. Integration of the project activities to the government policy and to those of
other stakeholders in the region for achievement of program synergy and cost
effectiveness. This includes collaboration with all stakeholders towards joint planning,
project identification, prioritization, implementation and monitoring and evaluation.

One of the elders in the Endamariam

watershed emphasise the extent of
forest degradation during the 1970s
and the role of trees: The whole field
you can see here was covered by
trees like this! They used to keep us
cool and pleasant weather. Now it
is hot since the sun hits the ground
directly.

Yield increasing technologies

In response to change in climate, which

resulted in increased moisture stress and
reduced soil fertility, the crop varieties
grown in the past could not produce
sufficient yield to meet the subsistence
requirement of the farming community.
Some of the adaptations measures made by
the farming communities, with the support
from Relief Society of Tigray (REST)
within the project watersheds, were the
following:
Development of irrigation structures
such as check dam ponds, under
ground water tankers, river diversion,
hand-dug well, mini-dam, water pump,
treadle pump, motorized pumps,
water saving technologies such as drip
irrigation and water harvesting.
Early maturing and moisture stress
tolerant varieties of crops have been
introduced. Because the period of
rainfall is shorter a change towards a
more intensified production system was
necessary. Early maturing cereals, short
cycle crops for rain fed agriculture, and
new vegetables, root crops and fruits
that can be grown using irrigation has
been adopted.
Compost (from livestock dung), and
chemical fertilizer is used to fertilize
the soil.
Improved farm management practices
such as frequent and timely weeding
practices have been introduced.
Community seed banks

Community seed banks serve different

important functions in agriculture and
household economies in Tigray. The seed
banks are managed by community groups.
In each specific seed bank there are seeds
preserved for each local community in
the watershed. The seed banks give access
to local seed varieties to poor farmers, in
particular farmers who have lost their
harvest and seed access due to stress, at
affordable prices to grow for the coming
year. Such access to seeds enables the
farmer to cultivate again, which again
reduces vulnerability to hunger and poverty.
The banks act as buffer stock following
a disaster and during periods of seed
shortages normally experienced in food
deficit areas prior to harvest. Moreover, the
seed banks are useful for preserving local
biodiversity and landraces and reduce the
reliance on external and often expensive
seed inputs.

Water harvesting for irrigation purposes

Livestock improvement

The country at large and the Tigray

region, in particular, are endowed with huge
and diversified livestock resources that have
evolved through long history of natural
selection. Livestock is very important to the
household economy, and the people have
great skills in livestock-keeping. Besides
providing traction power for agriculture, the
animals provide income, food and means
of accumulating wealth for the household.
Cattle, sheep, goat, camel, equine and
poultry, and last, but not least, the donkey
are important for income generation and
food security. Livestock is also one of the
most important assets used as a wealth
indicator.
The project has helped to increase
the number of varieties of farm animals,
which in turn has played a significant role
in household asset building. The Begite
cow, a productive breed of dairy cows, has
been brought from the western part of
the Tigray region, km away from the
study area. The cow gives liters of milk

per day compared to the local cow which

produces , liters of milk per day. The cow
has demonstrated its ability to survive under
harsh conditions like the local cattle, and is
therefore important for the economy and
food security under the observed climate
variability and changes.
Study tours and south-south learning

The project has conducted training,

workshops and tours, in-country learning
and south-south learning. Transfer
of experiences is facilitated between
geographical contexts in Tigray and Ethiopia,
for example through exposure visits for
women to share experiences on market
oriented production, dairy development, and
vegetable and root crops production. Women
are now teaching neighboring women in
root crop production and local processing.
An example of south-south learning is the
transfer of knowledge on drip-irrigation
techniques from India to Tigray in Ethiopia.
This new and appropriated knowledge has
increased farmers ability to adapt to the
changing climate.

Climate Change Risks, Vulnerability and Adaptation measures in Tigray Communities, Ethiopia
Increased livelihood diversification

Increased diversification of livelihoods

has been developed through small scale
enterprises producing and selling dairy
products such as butter and yogurt, small
ruminant development, honey processing
and formation of honey cooperatives, petty
trade, handicraft training and small business
management training. The landless poor
and labor poor women-headed households
are the primary beneficiaries of the project.
The potential of selling fruits in the local
market is encouraging, since there is high
demand for fruits in the town.
In order to enhance access to markets,
REST is establishing different user groups
and cooperatives such as honey, milk
and vegetable producer and marketing
cooperatives. Jobs have been created for the
rural youth, increasing their food security
and quality of life, in ways that fit well with
local climate and nature conditions.
Honey production
among women in Tigray

Vulnerability for the poorest

The poorest are particularly vulnerable

to additional stresses because of their
extremely low food security and few options
for income generating activities. Many
people are vulnerable because they own
no land, and especially many of the young
people are landless. There are few alternative
income opportunities outside agriculture,
and the youth who were not assigned land
during the last land redistribution depend
on their parents to access small pieces of
land. Others have migrated to urban centers
in search for work. 1/3 of all households in
the Tigray region are female headed. REST
has therefore been investing in tailored
approaches for these households, such as
fruit and spices, and root crop production
through home gardening, livestock
improvement and diversification as well as a
special loan system.

Impacts on the socioeconomic environment

Activities associated with soil and water

conservation, sowing of tree seedlings and
plantations and area closure have significant
impact on protecting the top soil and
improving the soil fertility. Rehabilitation
of gullies and terracing protect the soil and
increased rainfall infiltration into the soil.
Farmers indicated that the discharge rate
of springs have increased over the recent
years. Hence, the project is developing more
than one check dam on the same stream
to increase the irrigation command area.
The reservoir created by the check dam
is pumped to irrigate the field. The use of
water lifting technologies such as treadle
pump and motor pump is increasing. Due
to tangible economic impacts of irrigating
vegetables and fruits production, there is
unmet demand for irrigation facilities. The
improvement in the natural resources base
is also creating opportunities for expanding
the use of irrigation facilities.
There is high interaction between natural
resource conservation works and utilization
of the water resources to diversify the
livelihood system in order to adapt to the
changing climatic conditions. The water is
used in a thoroughly scheduled manner for
irrigation of vegetables, groundnuts and
fruits without affecting the water supply
down stream.
The bare land in the area is recovering.
The improvement in the natural resources
base of the central Tigray is immense. The
area closure is a major factor behind the
improved vegetation cover. Terracing on the
hillside is protecting the soil. Agro-forestry
measures are improving the soil fertility
and has provided high value feed for the
livestock. The vegetation cover is improving
the micro-climate of the watersheds.
Check dam constructed at
Endamariam watershed used
for irrigation /Irrigated area

Area closure and SWC

improving the vegetation
cover (Kolla Tembien)

There is no doubt that climate change

has had a big impact on the food insecurity
status of the households. In order to
ensure household food security, the
REST integrated agricultural and rural
development projects in the delineated
watersheds aims at improving the food
security of the households in the target
areas, particularly by building household
and community assets. Household assets
building contribute to diversify the
livelihood strategies of households and build
flexibility and resilience to cope with climate
related events. In this way the people have
a choice of strategies to opt for in times of
stress.
Climate Change
and Adaptive Capacity

As described by the Intergovernmental

Panel on Climate Change, societies have a long
record of adapting to the impacts of weather
and climate through a range of practices.
Traditional livelihoods in Tigray have also
been developed in close interaction between
people, society, technology, the local nature and
climate conditions. However, in recent years
these livelihoods have been put under stress,
and people have tried to cope and adapt to
circumstances that they are less familiar with and
within the limits shaped by the social, political,
economic and environmental barriers they face.
Poor people have developed many
adaptation strategies. As a response to the
land shortage, the low productivity, the
droughts and other threats to food security
and income generation, the population has
intensified crop and livestock production
systems. Additionally, they have attempted to
diversify the means of livelihood by engaging
in alternative income generation activities
including petty trade, off-farm activities and
food for work organized by the government
and REST, both separately and jointly.

In the project watersheds important

livelihood assets include cropland,
pastureland, forest trees, river water and
oxen for traction power. Most of the adult
people own land, although the plots are
very small. However, both for these and the
landless people, the capacity to adapt to
additional stresses can be very limted. On
the other hand, it can also be said that if
opportunities for other activities could be
found, those without land would generally
have more time to engage in other activities,
because they are not bound to concentrate
on time consuming agricultural activities.
The population in the Tigray region
has knowledge and skills in growing cereal
crops such as maize, teff, and wheat, but
not so much in planting and growing trees,
fruit production, use of trees for fodder
production, irrigation and water harvesting

and storage techniques, etc. They have

knowledge and skills in livestock-keeping.
They also have knowledge on how to
carry out agriculture and gardening
in a dry environment, for example by
spreading small stones on their farmland
to preserve moisture in the soil. However,
it is important to recognize the universal
ability for people to learn and increase
the existing knowledge base, to be local
innovators, and to share experiences and
learn from each other.
Summary

People in the project area in Tigray are

very poor, vulnerable to climatic changes
and exposed to harsh climate conditions.
People struggle hard in order to cover
their basic needs under conditions that

Loans for the future

Minasebech Girmay (45) is a landless
woman with five children. Minasebech
and her husband used to own more
than 2.5 hectares of land and more than
7 milking cows. In 1973 her husband
left to join TPLF fighters taking part in
the civil war. That time her livelihood
depended on crop production and
livestock rearing producing sufficient
only for subsistence.
However, in 1984 everything changed
when drought destroyed her crop and
livestock production. The number of
livestock decreased gradually and
finally she had to migrate to Sudan
to escape from the effect of the
drought. She stayed there for 7 years
until she returned back to her village
in 1991. She returned empty handed.
To support her family she started petty
trading in the village by selling a local
drink called Tella.
In 2004, she decided to take a loan
from REST and received 2 sheep and
was able to pay back the loan in three
years. In 2006, she took another loan
and bought a Begite cow to further
diversify her livelihood options. The
sheep reproduced and became 16
of which 7 were sold at different times
for 1,600 Ethiopian Birr. The money was

used to cover school expenses for

the children, clothing and household
food consumption. She said, The
project pulled me out of poverty. These
sheep have helped me to become
more independent and less reliant on
support from others.
The Begite cow has delivered and
the milk is consumed by the children.
Priority is given to the calf rather than
selling milk so that it will soon be ready
for sale to generate income, she said.
She has integrated petty trading, small
ruminants and dairy production and
demonstrated zero-grazing under
serious feed shortage circumstances.

Minasebech Girmay with her livestock

are difficult to understand for people who

only read about them. The capacity of poor
people to live with extreme conditions
is well illustrated by this case. At the
same time, it is also evident that peoples
vulnerability would remain high if no
interventions were done. Although people
have strengths, knowledge, skills and make
efforts to live with climatic and other shocks
and stresses, they are not able to use and
increase their potentials and resources if the
society is not doing its part. Societal efforts
are necessary in order to make people
able to upgrade and extend their income
generating strategies and their quality of life
in ways that also make them less vulnerable
to climate variability and change. And the
types of interventions must be based on the
specific problems, opportunities, knowledge,
constraints and vulnerabilities that influence
the results of peoples efforts.
It is important to upgrade and develop
the livelihoods based on local resources,
nature and climate, instead of introducing
practices and knowledge from very different
contexts, such as modern agricultural
practices developed in industrialised
countries. For example, it is indicated
by this analysis that traditional livestock
keeping, which is often regarded as a
backward livelihood, can be fruitfully
upgraded and become an even better
way of using available natural resources.
Through the project activities, innovative
ways of improving livestock keeping are
developed, for example by the introduction
of animals from other parts of the region,
by new ways of providing fodder and water
and by increased value adding to milk
products. Such measures have the potential
to increase adaptive capacity, especially in
combination with measures that target the
underlying causes of vulnerability, such
as improvement in public services for the
poor. In Tigray the regional and local
governments have taken responsibility for
several efforts to change the conditions of
the poor, through employment generation
and improved public services, in close
collaboration with community groups
and REST. There is a long way to go in
order to reduce vulnerability and poverty
and increase the adaptive capacity more
drastically in such vulnerable communities,
but the project and government activities
are valuable and important contributions for
communities to cope with changing climate
conditions.

More than rain

This publication is part of the report
More than Rain - Identifying sustainable
pathways for climate adaptation and
poverty reduction.
The first objective of this study is
to look at how climate change
impacts farmers and poor people
in the respective countries. Then it is
important to understand and discuss
the links between climate change
adaptation, development, and poverty
reduction and present the notion of
sustainable adaptation measures. The
second objective is to identify how
sustainable adaptation measures can
look like in specific, on-the-ground
development projects. Finally, it is our
aim to present some guiding principles
for identifying activities and strategies

means for local populations and their

that both reduce poverty and increase
livelihoods.
the capacity of households and
The full report and case studies can be
communities to respond to climatic
downloaded from:
variability and change. In order to
www.utviklingsfondet.no/morethanrain
attain these objectives, it has been
fundamental to get the farmers
The information in this presentation
feedback on the experienced climate
is based on Bezabih Emanas report
risks, causes of vulnerability and their
Assessment of Climate Change in
ability to adapt.
the DF Supported Integrated Rural
Development Project Area of Tigray
More than rain has been a cooperation
Region, Ethiopia made in Ethiopia,
between the Development Fund in
and on an analysis of various climate
Norway, CIPRES in Nicaragua, REST
studies presented in the report More
in Ethiopia, LI-BIRD in Nepal and the
than Rain - identifying sustainable
Global Environmental Change and
pathways for climate adaptation
Human Security project at the University
and poverty reduction written by
of Oslo (GECHS). GECHS has provided a
Global Environmental Change and
solid analysis of the work we are doing
Human Security Project (GECHS) at the
which increases our understanding of
University of Oslo.
what climate change and vulnerability

Relief Society of Tigray (REST) is the local partner of the Development

Fund in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia, who works with poor and
marginalized communities. REST was established in 1978, initially to
serve the needs of the people in the liberated areas of Tigray during the
then civil war and those affected by drought. Its immediate objective
was to save the lives of those people who were severely beaten by
natural calamities and manmade factors. In 1991 REST was registered
a Non- Government Organization (NGO). The organization shifted from
relief to development activities recognizing the need to address the
root causes of poverty and vulnerability.

The Development Fund is a Norwegian

independent non-government organisation
(NGO). We support environment- and
development projects through local partners
in Asia, Africa and Latin America. We believe
that the fight against poverty must be based
on sustainable management of natural
resources in local communities.

Collaboration between the Development Fund and REST goes back to

the mid of 1980s, when REST is operating in the then TPLF controlled areas
of Tigray. REST and the Development Fund have worked together for more
than twenty years in rehabilitation and development activities in the
region. The Development Fund has supported various community based
development programs which encompasses; community seed bank, Soil
and Water Conservation, Reforestation, Livestock Development, Irrigation
Development, Institutional Capacity Building, Gender Development, HIV/
AIDS, marketing development, and south-south exchange program,
implemented through the watershed approach.

www.utviklingsfondet.no

Utviklingsfondet / The Development Fund