WVE Climate Resilient initiative, the case of

Humbo-Soddo AR projects

October 13, 2014Addis Ababa, Hilton Hotel

Background

• Ethiopia’s livelihood is dependent on land, water and natural Environment.

• Environmental degradation has resulted in an average loss of 70,000 tones of grain/year (Mohamed Yesuf, et al, 2006) as a result of loss of 20 tones of soil per hectare per year .

• climate change has also been a problem for our rain fed agriculture, Annual rainfall variability in the country is 30% (Bewket, 2007).

• Environmental degradation, coupled with climate change accentuated vulnerabilities of the rural poor specially elders, women and children.

• Ethiopia has experienced a variety of disasters, the major being drought.

Background

• Floods have claimed the lives of many people and led to destruction of property in some parts of the country, for instance in Dire Dawa and South Omo, 2006.

• IPCC fourth report indicates for each degree of temperature increase, there is a prediction of 20% reduction in agricultural yields in Sub-Saharan Africa.

• Climate Change greatly affects the vulnerable groups like old aged, women & children and is a challenge for overall growth and development as it

- Could undermine investment in development activities.– Reduce community resilience and make communities

more vulnerable to shocks.

Strategic Focus areas and Overall Objective of the initiativesStrategic Focus Area 1: To work on adaptation actions that strengthen resilience capacity of vulnerable populations, livelihoods and ecosystem . Strategic Focus Area 2: Work on actions that reduce existing greenhouse gases through bio-sequestration

Overall Objective: Improve resilience capacity of household through improved ecosystem services, improved land productivity and income through the sale of ER

Focus Activities

• Enhance farmland productivity through improved tree coverage using FMNR on both on and off farm degraded land.

• Promote efficient technology to improve access to clean energy, reduce work load, respiratory disease and deforestation.

• Ensure formation and strengthening of community user groups (cooperatives) responsible for sustainable forest mgt.

• Strengthen partnership in working with all stakeholders at each level.

• Inter and intra sectorial integration across the programs (health, education, food security).

• Compile lessons and sharing to scale up best practices.

Initiatives include

•Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR)

• Introduction of the FMNR technique to increase community ownership and increase afforestation reforestation (promoted in 45 Woredas 2014)

•Afforestation Reforestation as per CDM & Voluntary Market standard

• Total 3230 ha has been recovered (Humbo,2728ha & Sodo 503 ha)

• 10,161 people organized through Cooperatives (12 forest cooperatives in place)

• 56,529 total population indirectly benefitting, while restoring 3230 ha

• Scaling up of FMNR into 75 woredas (ADPs) by 2015

Prior to the intervention the site was open for access and trees were cleared due to demand for firewood and charcoal production. This has resulted in:

Denuded mountain Shortage of firewood Soil erosion and

flooding Large gully formation Silt loads, cobbles and

boulders on farm land

Restoration of Humbo Mountain using FMNR

Key Project Interventions

• Community Consultations

• Identification of Target Community. Negatively affected HHs identified and mitigation strategies developed

• Internal border demarcation to avoid users’ conflict and define legitimate users

• Land Certification Land user rights certification processed.

To restore this degraded mountains, AR project funded by World Vision and the World Bank began in 2006.

• Formation of Legal Cooperatives Forest Cooperatives legalized.

• Institutional Capacity Building

• Training of Communities on FMNR Techniques

• Refilling of open patchy land with new seedlings

• Facilitation of Certification

• Emission Reduction Purchase Agreement facilitated

FMNR technique implemented

Map of project site belonging to each forest coop

Achievements Before and After

Community Appraising their 5 year investment plan

Benefits

Social

• Land user rights secured.• Legal recognition of forest Cooperatives with written

bye laws.• Increased community institutional capacity.• Uptake of FMNR technique by the community.• Awareness creation and knowledge gained.• The burden and risk due to problem on accessing

flour mill has been reduced

Environmental

• Delivered 73,138.49t CO2e out of 165,000t CO2 e agreed to sale to World Bank until 2017 and 145,000CER for voluntary market with unit price 7.5USD

• 3230ha of barren hill restored and covered with vegetation

• Decreased downstream soil erosion and increased biodiversity,

• Individual house holds have started integrating Agroforestry trees into their farming system

… Environmental

• 1 new spring emerged while13 dried springs have been restored back a result of the soddo Afforestation reforestation project

• Ecotourism potential sites at Soddo has been identified and construction of cultural Houses as resting place for visitors is under way

Economic Benefits• Sustainable firewood from

pruned branches.• Grass harvesting through

cut and carry.• Income from carbon

revenue 383514USD/transferred to Humbo & 41560USD for Soddo community.

• Income from sale of forest seeds, honey, Apple seedlings, Mill service.

• The 12 coops have constructed grain store

Economic benefits

• 5/7 coops have installed Mill at Humbo site,

• Soddo forest coops have raised more than 90,000Birr over1.5years time from sale of apple, honey, firewood

• Currently at Soddo, apple seedlings with a market value of >500,000Birr available at nursery

• Union capital increased from 399,000-750,000 during one year time

Lessons Learnt Transparent consultation at each level from the onset of

the project. Identifying the barriers and mitigating the affects. Community capacity building Ensuring land tenure rights and community ownership. Clear property rights and benefit sharing systems (grass,

fire wood, revenue). Ensure availability of by-laws on which they agreed to

abide. Use technology that is simple, cost effective and

replicable. Access to carbon credit helps community to develop

sustainable livelihood improvement options. Strengthen partnership with all actors. Establishment of responsible community institution

(Cooperative). Effective documentation

Aknowledgement

• WVAU for the financial and technical support provided to this project

• World Bank’s BioCarbon Fund for technical assistance and their financial support

• Humbo Woreda, wolaita zone and SNNPR State for their administrative and technical support from concerned sector office experts at all level and

• The Federal EPA currently known as MEF for their tremendous assistance through out the process

Thank you!