COMMUNITY-BASED ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE: INTERCONNECTIONS BETWEEN ENVIRONMENT, LIVELIHOODS AND DEVELOPMENT IN ABRHA WE ATSBHA, EASTERN TIGRAY, ETHIOPIA

Abstract

In Ethiopia, recurrent droughts and food shortages have been rampant owing to environmental degradation and declining rainfall. Analyses conducted over the past few years suggest that environmental rehabilitation has led to improvements in farmers' livelihood in Tigray Region, in northern Ethiopia. Drawing on ethnographic interviews, focus groups and participant observations in the Abrha we Atsbha community, this study highlights some indigenous adaptation strategies and the benefits of integrating them into formal climate change adaptation strategies. By using their indigenous knowledge, the local community in Abrha we Atsbha have developed and implemented extensive adaptation strategies that have enabled them to reduce their vulnerability to climatic variability and climate change. Natural resource conservation schemes have increased general soil moisture substance and facilitated the replenishment of the underground water table. The implication is that achievements that start out as a community initiative can later be adopted and incorporated into formal adaptation strategies by government and research institutions.