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Climate Change Risks, VulneRability and adaptation measuRes in tigRay Communities, ethiopia

M o r e t h a n r a i n :

The 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.

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.

Study areaEthiopia - 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.

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

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Environmental degradation and drought

Decreased water access

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

Year Attributed Causes Impacts

1957-1958

Rain failure in 1957 with locust and epidemic in 1958

Not recorded

1964-1966

Undocumented Said to be worse than the 1973-1975

1971-1975

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.

1983-1985

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.

1990-1992

Rain failure and regional conflicts

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

1993-1994

Rain failure and armed conflicts

Some 4 million people in the country required food assistance

Source: Focus Group Discussions at Kolla Tembien

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

Social dimension and people’s 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

of a weather pattern or extreme event, but on contextual factors that influence people’s 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 people’s perception of climate change, in order to build their capacity and resilience to cope with barriers and thresholds.

Climate risks and local vulnerability

Ethiopia (Tigray region in orange)

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.

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:

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.

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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 SeptemberJune 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

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.

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.

Economic and social factors

Political factors

Gully rehabilitation with elephant grass

Illness, especially HIV/AIDS among family members, has a highly adverse effect on household’s 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.

Integrated watershed measuresThe 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.

Health factors Adaptation through watershed management in Tigray

Climate Change Risks, VulneRability and adaptation measuRes in tigRay Communities, ethiopia

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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 agro-•forestry works using multipurpose trees improves soil fertility and supply of fodder.Check dams used for land reclaiming and •conservation of moisture in the area.

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 micro-watershed 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: Strategic integration of the three dimensions of food security i.e. availability, 1. access and utilization. Program activity integration by ensuring all project components are implemented 2. in a mutually reinforcing way for maximum impact at the household level. Integration of the project activities to the government policy and to those of 3. 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.

Adaptation through local watershed approach – Building household assets, diversity and flexibility

One of the elders in the Endamariam watershed emphasise the extent of forest degradation during the 1970’s 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.”

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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 banksCommunity 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.

Livestock improvementThe 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.

Water harvesting for irrigation purposes

Climate Change Risks, VulneRability and adaptation measuRes in tigRay Communities, ethiopia

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Impacts on the socio-economic environment

Check dam constructed at Endamariam watershed used for irrigation /Irrigated area

Area closure and SWC improving the vegetation cover (Kolla Tembien)

Increased livelihood diversificationIncreased 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.

Vulnerability for the poorestThe 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.

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.

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.

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.

Honey production among women in Tigray

Climate Changeand Adaptive Capacity

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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.

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.

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

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 people’s 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 people’s 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.

Summary

Minasebech Girmay with her livestock

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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.

Utviklingsfondet / The Development Fund

www.utviklingsfondet.no

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

that both reduce poverty and increase the capacity of households and communities to respond to climatic variability and change. In order to attain these objectives, it has been fundamental to get the farmers’ feedback on the experienced climate risks, causes of vulnerability and their ability to adapt.

More than rain has been a cooperation between the Development Fund in Norway, CIPRES in Nicaragua, REST in Ethiopia, LI-BIRD in Nepal and the Global Environmental Change and Human Security project at the University of Oslo (GECHS). GECHS has provided a solid analysis of the work we are doing which increases our understanding of what climate change and vulnerability

means for local populations and their livelihoods.The full report and case studies can be downloaded from:www.utviklingsfondet.no/morethanrain

The information in this presentation is based on Bezabih Emana’s report

“Assessment of Climate Change in the DF Supported Integrated Rural Development Project Area of Tigray Region, Ethiopia” made in Ethiopia, and on an analysis of various climate studies presented in the report “More than Rain - identifying sustainable pathways for climate adaptation and poverty reduction” written by Global Environmental Change and Human Security Project (GECHS) at the University of Oslo.

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.

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.