A new project funded by the REDAA* (Reversing Environmental Degradation in Africa and Asia) programme has just launched in Ethiopia. Led by Professor Awdenegest Moges of Hawassa University, with Aberdeen serving as the administrative lead, the project aims to tackle land degradation and boost livelihoods across Sub-Saharan Africa, starting with Halaba, Ethiopia, as a case study. Euan Phimister (Business), Jo Smith and Paul Hallett (SBS), and Emma Fowlie (Project Manager, DIS) attended the kick-off meeting in late June.
The project is titled “Local-level land degradation assessment towards sustainable land management for improved livelihood in the Ethiopian Rift Valley”. By combining local wisdom with scientific data, we’re creating community action plans to restore landscapes and improve lives. Our project will also develop affordable, gender-sensitive business models and use schools and training centres to ensure lasting, sustainable change. Building on over 10 years of ESRC, NERC, and GCRF funded research collaboration with partners from Hawassa University, the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), and regional agricultural centres, this new project puts our interdisciplinary research into action.
REDAA received over 1200 applications, with only 21 receiving funding. Our visit to Ethiopia coincided with the successful Aberdeen PhD viva of Getahun Edo Yakob of the Central Ethiopian Agricultural Research Institute, who was supervised by the Aberdeen project team and Wolde Bori (IWMI) in a joint SBS and Business School studentship. His project, closely aligned with our new initiative, was titled “Interventions to combat land degradation in agricultural landscapes in southern Ethiopia and improve livelihoods: from exclosures to soil fertility management.”
*Reversing Environmental Degradation in Africa and Asia (REDAA) is a programme that catalyses research, innovation and action in Africa and Asia by offering grants and technical support. It is funded by UK International Development from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and managed by IIED. For more information, visit www.redaa.org.