From Subsistence to Sustenance

Farmers look to cash crops to build long-term resilience to climate change in Ethiopia.

- Greg Benchwick

Apiyeiw Akwor is the sole bread winner in her household. Her husband died some nine years ago, and now Apiyeiw raises her two children on her own. Apiyeiw’s life is hard. And continued hurdles from climate change – recent droughts in Ethiopia caused by El Niño, land degradation, changing rainfall patterns – make it even harder.

Apiyeiw used to plant sorghum and maize along the banks of the Baro River – relying on rains to water the crops. But she never got much more than four quintals (about 400kg) per harvest.

This was hardly enough to support her family, so she would supplement her income by distilling a local alcohol known as areki. The distillation process of this potent potable is quite laborious. More concerning still, the production of areki requires cutting down lots of firewood to keep those stills burning.

Doubling Harvests

Things are now looking up for Apiyeiw and her family. With support from the Promoting Autonomous Adaptation at the Community Level in Ethiopia project – a five-year initiative led by the Government of Ethiopia and benefitting from a US$5.6 million grant from both Global Environment Facility’s Least Developed Countries Fund and UNDP sources – Apiyeiw was able to diversity her holdings and plant new cash crops such as banana, onion, cabbage and tomato.

Working with extension agents and new solar-powered irrigation systems, Apiyeiw was able to harvest her fruits and vegetables twice last year, earning US$125 from her new harvests. The extra produce went to her family, who benefited from the improved nutritional value of the diverse fruits and vegetables grown fresh on the family farm.