GEOG 219/379
Africa: Diversity and Development
Virtual Field Course 2007
Illubabor Zone, Oromyia Region, Western Ethiopia
The aim of the virtual field course is to explore, from the perspective of various stakeholders, the
issues influencing the development of Ethiopia’s western highlands. During the week, we will be
‘visiting’ several examples of natural resource management systems, and discussing how the
development of these can contribute to livelihood security and environmental sustainability, as well
as meeting the more specific development goals of local people, central government, NGOs, private
investors and the international / global community.
At the beginning of the week you will be required to organise yourselves into 6 groups, with each
group taking on the role of one of the following stakeholders:
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Local Farmers
Local NGO – the Ethio-Wetlands and Natural Resources Association
An International NGO funded by the EU with a conservation agenda
Private Investors for coffee / tea / honey / spices
Central government’s regional development planners
The Nile Basin Initiative (NBI)
During the week you should explore – through the ‘field visits’, your own personal research, and
interviews with representatives of these organisations – the various development issues from the
perspective of your particular stakeholder / organisation. On Friday each group will be required to
make a presentation to the other groups and a team of UN advisors (Dr Dixon and Professor Wood) in
which you should:
Outline the key requirements / goals for the development of the Illubabor Highlands
given the priorities of your organisation, and identify the problems which have to be
addressed and the solutions which your organisation sees as being required.
You should put forward a persuasive argument for the way ahead in Illubabor, and expect
challenging questions from the other stakeholder groups.
Presentations should last approximately 10 minutes, with 10 minutes for questions. Please use
powerpoint but do not use more than 10 slides. There will be a class debate for 20 minutes
following all the presentations, and a summing up by the UN advisors. This is scheduled for 10.00
to 12.30 on Friday 2nd February. Group presentation marks will be worth 15% of the overall module
mark.
Relevant articles and web links will be posted on Blackboard under the ‘FIELDCOURSE’ folder.
The programme for the field week will involve four field excursions as follows:
Monday 10:00-12:00 – Welcome to Illubabor and Metu, the Zonal capital
Tuesday 10:00-12:00 – Visit to a local wetland management system
Tuesday 14:00-16:00 – Visit to a Non-Timber Forest Product Project
Wednesday 10:00-12:00 – The Nile Basin Initiative and the Baro-Akobo Project
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Thursday is a free day for your own research and preparation of the powerpoint-based
presentations.
In addition, each group may see the ‘experts’ from the various stakeholder groups for a 30 minute
consultation and discussion on Wednesday between 12.00 and 17.00. Times must be booked on
Tuesday with the staff.
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Stakeholder Profiles
1. Local farmers
Most farmers in the western highlands engage in subsistence agriculture, cultivating either maize or
tef on the uplands with draught oxen used for ploughing. The more wealthy farmers may have
access to wetland plots, where they can grow maize and vegetables for subsistence, or for sale at
local markets. Some farmers also have small areas of coffee cultivation in the forest under-storey in
the uplands or on the slopes coming down to the wetlands. A range of other products, such as
honey, spices are obtained from the forest, while medicinal plants and herbs are often obtained from
the wetlands.
There are several issues in the area influencing the livelihoods and subsistence of local farmers:
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Population pressure – means farmland is continuously being subdivided amongst families or
new land has to be cleared from the forest.
Land tenure situation – land remains the property of the state, and the state retains the authority
to redistribute land whenever deemed necessary, for development projects or to maintain equity.
Land degradation – even in this relatively fertile part of Ethiopia, there are issues of soil erosion,
particularly on the uplands.
Wild animals – protecting your crops against monkeys and baboons living in the remnant forest,
has become a daily struggle for farmers.
Water security – there are wells in the larger villages, but there are concerns about streamflow,
and the availability of wetlands to provide water for livestock and people.
As a farmer what are your priorities for the development of the western highlands?
What problems need to be addressed?
What are the solutions?
(Note that rich and poor farmers may have different views.)
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2. EWNRA – A local NGO
EWNRA, the Ethio-Wetlands and Natural Resources Association, is a small, local NGO whose aim
is to:
…develop wetlands and natural resource management, research and training capacity within
Ethiopia, thereby facilitating the wise use of wetlands and natural resources – especially forests,
and developing awareness and skills for the sustainable management and conservation of wetlands
and other natural resources.
EWNRA can be considered an advocacy, research and implementation NGO; it raises awareness of
wetland issues throughout the country, it engages in research activities with various academic
institutions (local and international), and it undertakes projects that have positive outcomes for
livelihood security and natural resource management. In recent years, it has been involved in the
participatory development of catchment management plans with farmers and wetland resource users
in Illubabor zone. EWNRA has also become involved in forest issues in the south-west highlands of
Ethiopia. Initially this was because forested catchments are important for sustaining water supply to
wetlands, but more recently it has recognised that forest resources, like wetlands, are often
important in the diverse rural livelihoods of the area and are either neglected by government
extension staff or subject to in appropriate government policies.
Issues and priorities for EWNRA are:
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Ensuring the sustainable use of wetlands and forests to support local livelihoods.
Improving agricultural production in non wetland and forest areas to reduce pressure on
wetlands and forest.
Facilitating the transfer of ‘wise-use’ principles for wetland management
Supporting the development of participatory management approaches to wetland and forest
management, as well as catchment conservation and domestic water supply improvement.
Ensuring the financial sustainability of the NGO itself!
As the Director of EWNRA what are your priorities for the development of the western highlands?
What problems need to be addressed?
What are the solutions?
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3. The Ethiopian Government - Agency Responsible for Regional Development
The Ethiopian government is under a lot of pressure. There are recurrent food shortages in several
parts of the country and the government wishes to reduce its dependence upon foreign aid in order
to address this problem. Increasing internal food production is a key goal, with the aim of achieving
national food security. This is made difficult with a population growth rate of over 2% and a
population doubling time of a little over 20 years. In addition, the government needs to increase
exports, which for the foreseeable future will be primarily agricultural, such as coffee (over 50% of
the exports today) and hides and skins (15% of the exports). There is severe over-population in
several parts of the country and resettlement is seen as a way to match people and resources.
However, this is limited by the government’s current policy of keeping ethnically specific regions,
so no formally planned resettlement can occur between different regions. Further problems with
resettlement are logistical problems and the high mortality among settlers.
The Illubabor Highlands are a relatively rich area in terms of resources and much is expected for
this area to feed the nation and provide exports. The area has experienced one bout of resettlement
under the previous (non-ethnic regions) military government – that increased the population by 510% within two months! It has also seen major allocations of land in the past and under the present
government for state and now private investors, wishing to grow coffee, tea, and other cash crops.
An area development plan has been produced called the Baro-Akobo Basin Plan which envisages
the clearance of most of the forest and the establishment of extensive commercial and peasant
agriculture. At present there is a rather top-down extension service, which mostly focused on crop
production, but reforms are promising to include a focus upon environmental issues and sustainable
land management.
A further aspect of the development in this area is the recent discovery of a coal deposit near Metu
which can be developed as a source for the chemical plant producing nitrogen fertilisers.
As the government what are your priorities for the development of the western highlands?
What problems need to be addressed?
What are the solutions?
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4. International NGO funded by EU for conservation work
The European Union Delegation in Ethiopia is concerned that environmental issues are being
neglected in Ethiopia’s rush to feed itself. This concern includes the question of sustainable land
use, land degradation and other pressures which are leading to increased forest clearance.
Conversely, they recognise problems with the poor management of protected areas, but also the
need to ensure that all biomes in Ethiopia have protected sites. (The broad-leafed forests of the
Western Highlands have no protected area in the portfolio of sties protected by the Ethiopian
Wildlife Conservation Organisation – EWCO). A key concern of the EU is the goal of achieving in
situ conservation of wild coffee, as Coffea arabica originated in this area and was first domesticated
here.
In general in Ethiopia, conservation has been of low priority relative to development and there are
regular debates about people versus wildlife / forest. A key challenge is to develop ways of
achieving environmental conservation which also support the livelihoods of the rural poor, and not
lead to the problems faced by some commercial plantations – friction with the local communities.
As a conservation NGO which can be funded by the EU, what are your priorities for the
management of the western highlands?
What problems need to be addressed?
What are the solutions?
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5. Private Investors
Since the fall of the military and Marxist government in 1991, Ethiopia has turned away from a
centrally planned economy to a mixed economy, with state and private investment operating side by
side in several economic field. State farms continue but private investors are encouraged to develop
agricultural and industrial enterprises. The Gumaro tea plantation near Gore is being prepared for
sale by the government, while other private commercial plantations have been established in the last
ten years on mostly forest land given by the government to investors on medium term leases (25
years).
As a consortium of Ethiopian private companies wishing to invest in Illubabor in order to make
profits, you need to develop a specific view of the development future of this area which will meet
your needs. You need to consider what are the most viable and profitable enterprises for you and
what are the pre-requisites for the smooth running of your operations in this area.
You should be aware that this is a relatively remote area and the infrastructure is not good. Further
the government is sometime ambivalent in its attitude to the private investors. More recently there
has been some conflict with local communities where forest land has been alienated for coffee
plantation. In one case the three plantation guards were murdered and their bodies hung up,
presumably to act as a warning against further expropriation of land from local communities.
As the Head of the Investor Consortium, what are your priorities for the development of the western
highlands?
What problems need to be addressed?
What are the solutions?
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6. The Nile Basin Initiative
The Nile Basin Initiative is an inter-government agency involving all nine countries which have part
of their territory drained by the Nile. The aim of the NBI is to achieve the most efficient and
effective use of the waters of the Nile for development, by coordinating catchment management,
hydro power development, irrigation development, and other water and land uses in the basin taking
an integrated approach. This is intended to achieve high levels of inter-country coordination and the
reduce conflict between countries, as water is becoming an increasingly scarce development
resource in many part of the world, including the lower reaches on the Nile in Sudan and Egypt.
The NBI is supported by the World Bank, and by several other donors. For instance the Norwegians
are supporting hydro-power development, while the African Development Bank is planning to
undertake an integrated basin management pilot project in the Baro Akobo basin, the Upper Baro
part of which is in the Illubabor Highlands.
There are several issues in Illubabor which are of concern to the NBI in general and will be of
concern to the Baro-Akobo project once it is set up:
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Land use change, especially deforestation, in the upper catchment (the Illubabor Highlands)
having downstream impacts for irrigation and other uses in the lowlands, as well as hydropower production on the highland edge.
Reducing sediment loads in rivers to reduce siltation in dams and so reduce the maintenance
costs.
Issues of how to achieve the poverty reduction goals for people living in the Baro Akobo Basin
while also meeting the environmental concerns related to hydrological stability.
As the NBI what are your priorities for the development of the western highlands?
What problems need to be addressed?
What are the solutions?
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