Supporting local actors and public services to improve the resilience of local populations in four districts of Afar and Somali Regions, Ethiopia
The challenge
The Afar and Somali Regions of Ethiopia consist of almost exclusively arid and semi-arid lowlands (ASAL) and are among the least developed regions in Ethiopia. The Afar and Somali people derive their livelihood either entirely from pastoral livestock farming, or from a combination of crop and livestock farming.
Afar and Somali Regions have a population of about 1.8 million and 10.1 million respectively. The majority of the population lives a traditional lifestyle, which is characterized by migration together with the animals in search for fodder and water. More than half of the population in the lowlands lives below the poverty line. The regions show some of the lowest development indicators in Ethiopia.
Over the past two decades, the regions have experienced recurring severe droughts, which together with other environmental factors led to the degradation of the natural resource base forming the basis of local livelihoods. The population’s capacity to cope with a changing climate and the ongoing loss of valuable natural resources (resilience) is in peril.
