Improving Ethiopia’s Land Restoration Projects
Ethiopia has suffered some of the worst land degradation in sub-Saharan Africa. The major source of Ethiopia’s deteriorating landscape is rapid population increase that has contributed to deforestation, soil erosion, and wide-scale agriculture. Land degradation in Ethiopia has severely reduced the productive capacity of the land an its economic value. It has been estimated that Ethiopia loses $4.3B worth of productivity annually due to the declining biocapacity of its land. However, efforts have been underway for decades now to restore the land and protect vulnerable communities. Over the last 10 years, Ethiopia has spent $1.2B per year in land rehabilitation projects focused on reducing soil erosion and runoff throughout the country. Recently the International Center of Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) has examined the impact of Ethiopia’s ecological efforts. Researchers at CIAT have noted Ethiopia’s efforts as being beneficial for the natural ecosystems but remain critical that...