Awassa, Ethiopia 11 March 2015. The months of February and March in Ethiopia are significantly warm and dry. In the lowland parts of the southern region, it is most of the time very dry with severe water shortage. On the sidelines of the national farmers’ day organized every year to encourage and reward the efforts of small farmers in Ethiopia, FAO organized a field visit in the region of SNNP. The team evaluates the implementation of the access to drinking water in the locality of Halaba. A project supported by FAO in Ethiopia.

These woredas are noted for having severe water shortage.

Halaba, one of the smallest and youngest neighborhoods of Hawassa capital of the SNPP Regions and a fast growing economy thanks to the pastoral activities developed by women in the region is influenced by the trade with countries neighborhoods: Kenya and Somalia. However, economic activities in these southern areas of the country are limited and the population’s income comes mainly from agriculture. Water shortage is still the main daily challenge. With financial and technical support from FAO in 2014, a project supporting populations in Halaba started with the aim to increase availability of water for livestock and reduce tracking distance in smallholder farmers in the project woredas. Water scarcity is one of the most urgent food security issues facing woredas. The project helps to improve water point management capacity of the community and implementing partners.

A “participatory approach” for the construction of water ponds. 

Learning from experience in helping farmers through a participatory approach, FAO increased support to people in the lowland parts of the region whose main activity of the day remains to look for water all along the region. FAO facilitated their access to land that was used for the constructions of water ponds. To-date, 13 ponds have been constructed, and an area of 2,539 ha of pond catchments (watersheds) rehabilitated; an asset for over 156,734 beneficiaries, mainly cattle. Clean and safe water and recurrent shortages remain critical.

The Government of Ethiopia and FAO engaged in next step activities.

In response to this need, FAO also helped to implement the second phase of the root crop project in district where these crops are closely linked to household food security. The overall objective of this second phase is to scale up the distribution of high quality planting seeds of Irish Potato, Taro, Sweet-potato and Cassava; to improve postharvest management value addition (DLS construction and processing the root crops into different food items) etc.  People will be encouraged to decide the activities they would like to organize and what facilities they will need. According to the coordinator of the project, Dr Abel Mersie, “it is also important for the benefit of the young people as well as their region, to be encouraged to learn modern agricultural skills.”

Partnership for Agricultural Water Management.

The case of Halaba in Ethiopia is not unique. Many other countries in the Horn of Africa are facing similar water shortage such as in Somalia, Tanzania, Uganda and Djibouti. There is a need to do something at all levels. The partnership for Agricultural Water Management in Africa, envisages for instance setting the topic on top of the agenda of relevant policy makers and stakeholders for the whole region.  The idea is to increase investment in agricultural water management that is socially equitable, profitable at the farm level, economically viable, environmentally friendly and sustainable. Having this in mind, the  main outcomes will be for example improved water productivity in small scale agriculture and increased water use efficiency.   

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