Innovative Responses to Ethiopian Drought

Posted: 1 December 2000

Oxfam has initiated 10 projects in southern Ethiopia focused on food security and water supply, including the use of drought-resistant camels.

By Sofia T. Romero

For the third year in a row, the southern region of Ethiopia has received insufficient rainfall and endured a deadly drought. Most of the livestock have died—the source of livelihood for most of the people of this region—and all the vegetation has withered. For many in the Horn of Africa, this drought has put them on the edge of famine for months.

Ethiopia and Eritrea signed a peace accord in mid-December, ending a two-year war. Still, with the continuing drought and internal conflicts, there is much to be done to improve conditions within the nation. "In reality, we are still in an emergency situation," said Abera Tola, Oxfam America's representative in Ethiopia. "Even some areas which were considered food secure are on the verge of food insecurity. These people are still unable to stand on their own feet. They still need the support of the international community and governments to begin anew."

In the past months, Oxfam America has initiated ten new projects in Ethiopia, many of which focus on increasing food security. "The Horn of Africa is a testing ground and also a battlefield for combating poverty," said Tola. Among the community groups we support is Action for Development (AFD), a group in the drought-stricken Borena zone of the south. AFD focuses on improving food security, self-reliance, and quality of life for the poor farmers and pastoralists of this region. Pasture is severely degraded there, and 90 percent of the livestock has died. AFD has brought in 120 camels—which are more drought-resistant than cattle because they only need water every 10 days or so—to be used for hauling water. The introduction of camels for water transport has freed women, who formerly traveled 6-10 hours to bring back as much water as they could carry. Now they can devote themselves to other activities. Camels can also be used to plough the land when there is sufficient rainfall to attempt planting.

The continuing dry weather remains a daunting obstacle to the success of these types of projects. One of AFD's programs distributes seeds to poor farmers to plant when the occasional rains do come. More than 600 hectares of maize were planted, but shriveled up due to a lack of water. The dried leaves and stalks can now only be used to feed livestock. One farmer said, "AFD has given us inputs and advice required, but God didn't give us the remaining element required: the rain! It is just our bad luck." As a result of continuing challenges rehabilitating agricultural programs, Oxfam partners are turning their attention to livestock programs, including introducing veterinary support for drought-weakened livestock that are now more disease-prone.

Sar Tache of the Yabello region of the southern Borena zone received 250 birr (about $30) from AFD through their Employment Generation Scheme (EGS) program. EGS employs local people like Tache to rehabilitate degraded or dried up water catchment ponds (see photo). With income from the program, he was able to buy 100 kg of grain to feed himself and his family for two months. He was also able to buy clothes for himself, his wife, and their two children. Without the money, he would have had to sell most of his already emaciated animals, which would not have earned him very much cash. For him, the employment and income was lifesaving. "Had AFD not come with this opportunity," Tache said, "my family and I would have been in a grave by now." In addition, he also plans to excavate his own catchment pond with the skills he learned working on the EGS pond rehabilitation project.