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Book (stand-alone)Building resilience to climate change-related and other disasters in Ethiopia
Challenges, lessons and the way forward
2022Also available in:
No results found.Ethiopia is exposed to a wide range of disasters associated with the country’s extensive dependence on rainfed subsistence agriculture, climate change, resource degradation, diverse geoclimatic and socio-economic conditions and conflicts. Drought and floods are the major challenges, but a number of other threats affect communities and livelihoods. These include conflict, desert locust, fall armyworm, frost and hail, crop pests and diseases, livestock diseases, human diseases, landslides, earthquakes, and urban and forest fires. Every source of evidence suggests that Ethiopia would feel the human and economic impacts of climate change intensely, and the impacts will only continue to grow if the country continues a business-as-usual approach to crisis response, and will not be able to manage the increasing scale of the challenges. Thus, there is call by all stakeholders for a paradigm shift in the way the country deals with communities at risk, in order to take preventive actions to reduce exposure, vulnerability and impact at local level. This requires moving away from a reactive system that solely focuses on drought and supply of life-saving humanitarian relief and emergency responses during disasters to a comprehensive proactive disaster and climate risk management approach, including climate change adaptation, among which are interventions to enhance livelihood diversification, social protection programmes and risk transfer mechanisms. Furthermore, resilient agrifood systems support should include a range of proven interventions that are context-relevant and cover the whole agrifood system, such as increase in fertilizer use where appropriate and high-yielding and drought-tolerant seeds, strengthened extension and advisory systems at the kebele (local) level through the use of farmer field schools and pastoral field schools, expansion of access to credit, livelihood diversification, risk transfer mechanism and institutional development that link short-term emergency relief to long-term development pathways. This approach is essential for building resilience to natural hazard and human-induced disasters resulting in food insecurity challenges. Much progress has been made in the last 50 years in the way of managing mainly drought disaster risks. Large-scale prevention and mitigation programmes have been designed, incorporating a focus on vulnerabilities, household asset-building, and public works for environmental rehabilitation and generation of livelihoods. Preparedness has been enhanced by the development of various policies and strategic documents for assessment and intervention, early warning and response systems, and economic, social and physical infrastructure to strengthen the local economy and household livelihoods. An attempt has also been made for humanitarian response to count on an established risk-financing. -
BookletStrengthening sector policies for better food security and nutrition results: Crops and varieties
Policy Guidance Note No. 15
2021Also available in:
No results found.This policy guidance note is part of a series developed to support governments and their development partners in creating a policy and institutional environment to achieve sustainable food security and nutrition and meet SDG2. This note focuses on crops and varieties, the foundation of agriculture and food production, and outlines policies and actions needed to ensure that farmers have access to quality seeds and planting materials of well-adapted and preferred crop varieties. Good quality seeds and plant materials, of crop varieties which have desirable traits bred into them do not just happen; they have to be developed. This policy guidance note shows how this development depends on a continuum of activities to manage plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA), from the conservation of plant genetic diversity, to the effective use of this diversity in breeding productive and nutritious crop varieties, to the delivery of seeds and planting materials to farmers. This note presents practical steps that governments may take in articulating policies and activities, drawing heavily from the Second Global Plan of Action for PGRFA, an internationally agreed framework for the conservation and sustainable use of PGRFA. This note helps policymakers to understand the potential of PGRFA to improve food security and nutrition, and to recognise this in their policies. -
DocumentSeed system security assessment report for Darfur region
Sudan, June 2011
2012Also available in:
No results found.Seed security interventions in Sudan have focused on improving availability and access through seed aid and seed multiplication. Over the years, determination of the need for seed aid and rehabilitation has largely been based, implicitly or explicitly, on the following studies: post-harvest assessments conducted by the State Ministries of Agriculture in close collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO); the Crop and Food Supply Assessment Missions; and ot her needs assessments, which have limited scope in examining seed security or the dynamics of the seed system. The comprehensive Seed System Security Assessment (SSSA) was undertaken to review the functioning of the existing seed systems (both formal and informal) in the country, with particular focus on the Darfur region. The assessment looked at whether seeds of adequate and preferred quality are available and whether farmers are able to access them. The approach is also expected to promote st rategic thinking about the relief, rehabilitation and development vision needed for future interventions. The comprehensive SSSA adopted a two-way approach: a commissioning of background synthesis, and primary data collection from the various stakeholders at field level. Background synthesis included: a) the formal plant breeding structures and processes; b) the formal seed production structures and processes; and c) current decentralized seed multiplication and distribution initiatives in Darf ur. The fieldwork covered 12 localities and 19 administrative units within Darfur. The method encompassed individual interviews with 725 farming households and 99 grain/seed traders; 12 community interviews and focus group discussions with women’s groups; key informant interviews with nine agro-input dealers and two agroprocessors. This is one of the most, if not the only, comprehensive agricultural and seed security assessments carried out in Sudan, with focus on Darfur region.
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