Water Refugees: Coastal Groundwater in Yemen
by Frank van Steenbergen The dramatic story of Al Mujelis goes like this: In the past, the area used to … Continued
The WaterBlog
The road to community empowerment: Koti Kebele’s community
This blog is part of a dossier on locally-led adaptation, featuring insights and lessons from the Reversing the Flow (RtF) program. RtF empowers communities in Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Sudan to build climate resilience through direct funding and a community-driven, landscape approach. Reversing the Flow (RtF) is an initiative launched in October 2024 by ORDA Ethiopia, with financial support from the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO), and technical MetaMeta. This project empowers communities in six watersheds of Koti Kebele, Yilmana Densa, North Gojjam Zone, Ethiopia, to address environmental and socio-economic challenges. The project aims to restore degraded lands, improve livelihoods, and promote sustainable development. Koti Kebele comprises six watersheds: Chinchiho, Kurfi, Dewol Washaye, Dawit Degami, Adafit, and Yibaba Gomengie. Spanning 2,735 hectares, these watersheds are home to 1,285 households, including 65 female-headed households. Despite its potential, the area faces significant challenges such as land degradation, erosion, deforestation, and socio-economic issues like youth unemployment and limited opportunities for women. The… Continued
Previous posts
Gearing Up for Floods: Combating and Embracing Waters on the Rise
Geographical Incidence of Floods, 1985-2010 As this map suggests, floods are possibly the most common form of natural disaster. If … Continued
The Weight of the Soul, Measured in Water
posted by Frank van Steenbergen July 9, 2012 We are always in search of the ‘essence.’ Even though we do … Continued
MDG 7 and the Moment of Truth
posted by Frank van Steenbergen July 2, 2012 It is two years to go to the day of reckoning. By … Continued
Social Protection and Agriculture: Safety Nets or Safety Traps?
Earlier this year there were riots in … Continued
Resistant, Efficient, Nutritious Rice for a Food-secure Future
Importance of Rice Rice is a very important food crop, 50% of the total world population consumes rice. 90% of … Continued
Water & Light: Visual Experiments
by Dr. Helmut Eigenmann, Thin Waters/ Laboratory and Design My experiments with thin water layers and light are the base for … Continued
Pastoralism, Land, Water and Climate Change
Securing the Future of a Culture of Resilience by Ilse Köhler-Rollefson, League for Pastoral Peoples and Endogenous Livestock development (LPP) Nature’s … Continued
The World of Pastoralists (Lest We Forget)
Who are pastoralists? Pastoralists are people who depend for their living primarily on livestock. They inhabit those parts of the … Continued
Video, Agriculture and Food Security: Innovations that link
The use of video in agriculture and rural development is not new. Anyone with any interest in the sector would … Continued
Remineralize now!
Production of chemical fertilizers used in agricuture is highly energy-intensive. The lowest estimate is that at least 1% of all … Continued
The Fringe Benefits of Food Aid
posted by Abraham AbhishekJune 20, 2012 Food aid is crucial for countries still working their way up the poverty ladder, … Continued
What is this?
This is a mousetrap (and a mouse in it, if you look closely) being used in Tigray, Ethiopia. The trap … Continued
Well, that looks like Africa…
posted by Abraham Abhishek June 10, 2012 This shallow well in Woukro, Ethiopia seems to be shaped like the African … Continued
Spate Irrigation: Lessons for Adaptive Management of a Variable Climate
COP 17 is quietly underway in Durban, South Africa. Compared to previous rounds of global climate negotiations, there has been … Continued
What is this?
posted by Lenneke KnoopMay 25, 2012 This stone is used by the community in Witu, Kenya to clean their drinking … Continued
Groundwater Security in Yemen: The Critical Role of Local Communities
Water-wise, Yemen is most commonly identified with scarce resources and arid landscapes. Less known are its longstanding, users-led groundwater management … Continued
Managing Groundwater Depletion: Pumping in the right mix of strategies
Groundwater depletion has been a major cause of concern worldwide, most recently as a contributor to rising sea levels. According … Continued
Small Farmers’ Productivity Key to Long-term Food Security in Horn of Africa
Even as you read this, more than 12 million people struggle to cope with the worst effects of the famine … Continued