In a nutshell
In the horn of Africa, population growth, droughts and the increasing scarcity of fertile lands are increasingly leading to food deprivation for the people that live there. In the Afar Triangle, situated in northeast Ethiopia, the population mainly consist of semi-nomadic pastoralists, who depend on the fertility of the ground to feed their families. The loss of the region’s national resources not only threatens peoples' livelihoods directly, it also increases the risk of triggering tribal conflicts over the lands that are available.
In recognition of the increasing pressure on Ethiopia's pastoralists by the Ethiopian Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries, GOPA Consultants has been mobilised to strengthen the drought resilience of the pastoral and agro-pastoral population living in the border area in northeast Ethiopia.
Our approach
The philosophy underpinning our approach to the present situation in Ethiopia builds on a dual strategy, which means supporting and developing the infrastructures for water and livestock on the one hand, while concurrently providing the pastoralists with alternative means to generate income on the other. Helping the population to become less reliant on a sole source of income provides a backup plan for when times are leaner.
Our course of action towards realising this strategy revolves around the development of these action lines, in which sustainability is key. We focus, for example, on the recovery of ground and rainwater to supply human settlements; increasing the health and therewith the productivity of livestock; and providing training of specific skills and professions such as mechanical engineering and blacksmithing.
What is more, by helping people to establish cooperatives, we ensure that the population’s livelihoods diversify and that they will become stronger as communities.
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