ProSoil Ethiopian Lowlands

As part of the ProSoil project - a global soil conservation and rehabilitation programme designed to promote food security - WOCAT has supported the documentation and exchange of best practice in seven countries, including Ethiopia.

The Challenge

The lowlands of Ethiopia are primarily inhabited by (agro-) pastoral communities. Climate change is leading to longer drought spells and more intense flooding. This, combined with increased population pressure and intensified demand for livestock on grazing land, has contributed to the overexploitation of natural resources. With the now widespread degradation of the land, reflected in poor vegetation cover and low soil infiltration capacity, the once replenishing floods from the highlands have become a force of destruction, most evident in the formation of deep gullies along the escarpment floor.

The floods no longer nourish the earth but destroy it, and with it the livelihoods of millions of people. This process has begun in most dry valleys, that were once covered with high grass in the past. They have lost their resistance to drought, and in most rainy seasons the water does more damage in the form of erosion than it contributes to regeneration. In this situation, Dry Valley Rehabilitation and Productive Use (DVRPU) is a game changer. It has proven its potential to transform degraded dry valleys into flourishing fields that provide livelihoods for its people.

Dry Valley Rehabilitation and Productive Use (DVRPU): An integrated approach to rehabilitate dry valleys for sustainable livelihoods.

At the heart of DVRPU is a comprehensive set of measures that addresses multiple dimensions: social, technical, biological, economical, institutional, and governance - which ensures the successful rehabilitation of entire dry valleys. The core technology employed is a cascade of Water-Spreading Weirs (WSWs). These structures combined with Dry-Stone Measures (DSMs) and biological measures work together to slow down the flow velocity of the floods. By doing so, the water can infiltrate into the soils, increasing groundwater levels and allowing fertile sediment to settle, creating highly productive land and thus food security.

The DVRPU approach follows a 7-step process, which starts with the identification of socially and biophysically suitable sites. One key factor for the success is the acceptance and participation of local communities. Their engagement is supported by technical expertise and regulatory frameworks provided by local governments. Collaboration between communities, technical experts, and local governance is vital for the long-term sustainability of the intervention fostering active involvement in planning, implementation, maintenance and utilisation of the rehabilitated lands.

• Satellite Identification: Potential dry valleys are identified with the help of satellite or drone images. The images are then processed, and potential dry valleys delineated.
• Suitability Assessment: The potential dry valley is then checked for suitability by ground-truthing, examining land rights, land- and, natural resource management, the level of community organisation, gender aspects and livelihood strategies of the communities.
• Community Participatory Planning: an important step that proactively involves of the community from the outset and the respective governmental partners in a deliberative activity planning process. Experience exchange visits are arranged for the community and local experts to rehabilitated areas for better understanding of the approach.
• Dry Valley User Cooperatives: are established by the communities living or regularly using the dry valley. They define by-laws for the protection, management and use of the rehabilitated lands and their productive use thereof.
• Technical and Budgetary Planning: In this step a detailed technical rehabilitation plan is developed with the community and partners including a standardized budget. The planning will span a maximum of 10-years with detailed annual plans that are closely monitored.
• Land rehabilitation measures: both physical and biological technologies and approaches are used here. Physical measures include water spreading weirs (WSWs) and dry-stone measures (DMS). Important to the dry valley rehabilitation and the protection of the physical structures are biological rehabilitation measures, such as area enclosures and the planting of hardy plants, which are integrated into the overall approach.
• Productive Use: The goal of the approach is to use the rehabilitated area for productive use by introducing suitable fodder and food crops. One dry valley has the potential to create food security for 6000 people!

The Benefits

Successful implementation of DVRPU yields multiple benefits. The physical and biological measures control the floods coming down from the highlands and make them beneficent:

• creation of new and fertile lands with increased soil moisture to produce food and fodder,
• increased ground water recharge and the availability of water for domestic and livestock needs,
• shallow wells for irrigation, and
• mitigation of flood damage for downstream investment.

The structures spread the floods to the adjacent rangelands, fertilising them through flood sediments:

• low input agriculture with late and multiple harvests,
• allows for crop diversification, including high value crops,
• zero risk to salinity and acidification,
• a more resilient system compared to rainfed agriculture, and
• reduced pressure on surrounding natural resources.