Water development in Ethiopia’s pastoral areas

The report Water development in Ethiopia’s pastoral areas: a synthesis of existing knowledge and experience (2012, 55pp) published by Save the Children USA and ODI (Overseas Development Institute) looks at water development undertaken in Ethiopia by government, NGOs, development partners and pastoralists themselves.

The report maps the institutions, policies, programmes and activities of different actors, so as to understand who is involved; where and how they are undertaking water development; whether and how approaches have changed over the past decades; and what some of the current major interventions are. It focuses on water development for livestock use in arid areas of Ethiopia where livestock keeping is the dominant livelihood and where cropping is limited because of insufficient and unreliable rainfall. These areas are inhabited predominantly by pastoralists and are generally in the lowlands: Afar, Somali and the arid zones of Oromia and Southern Ethiopia. The study describes the complex challenges that arise at the many intersections between pastoralism and other livelihoods, water and other resources and customary and administrative institutions. It highlights “good practice” and proposes principles to inform development of guidelines for water development in pastoral contexts.

Posted on 7 November 2016 in Pastoralism & Natural Resources, Pastoralism & Services, Pastoralism, Mobility & Land Tenure