National Strategy and Action Plan for the Implementation of the Great Green Wall Initiative in Ethiopia.

The National Strategy and Action Plan for the Implementation of the Great Green Wall highlights the evolution of the Great Green Wall for the Sahel and Sahara Initiative (GGWSSI); presents assessment of Ethiopia’s biophysical, socio-economic and policy, legislation and institutional aspects as they relate to the initiative and potential areas across the GGWSSI development. It also highlights past integrated natural resources management experiences, lesson learnt from and currently under implementation national development programmes and plans for aligning the GGWSSI for increasing synergy and effectiveness. The strategy consists of six pillars namely: 1) sustainable management of natural resources and improved production systems, 2) development of basic socio-economic infrastructures, 3) development of income generating activities, 4) promotion of good local governance, 5) capacity building of stakeholders and 6) research and knowledge management. These pillars have been inclined into 4 programmes for ease of implementation; these programmes encompass sub-programmes with objectives, outputs and activities presented in logic of intervention for the GGWSSI in Ethiopia.
The GGWSSI in Ethiopia is seen as a development opportunity for local communities that aim to help achieve strategic objectives relating to sound management of natural resources, increased food security, efficient fight against poverty and improvement of living conditions of rural populations. Pillar 1 overall objective aims to make agriculture the main lever for rural development, economic and social growth in order to preserve the foundation of productive agricultural land, pasture and forest to increase arable land and agricultural productivity. Particular attention will be given to traditional knowledge in the formulation and implementation of activities related to farming, rehabilitation of degraded rangelands (development of forage crops, studies to determine carrying capacities for purposes of spatial planning of animal husbandry activities), and development of appropriate strategies for rural water (rehabilitation of pastoral wells and the construction of water retention ponds to collect and store runoff). Pillar 3 In order to succeed more rapidly in combating poverty, there is need to stimulate improvements in farmers’/pastoralists’ income from agriculture activities, as well as offfarm revenues generating enterprises by encouraging the shift from the production of low value to high value products.
The following points outline expected outcomes upon the implementation of the GGWSSI: Recovery, development and diversification of agriculture and livestock through the control of water resources by creating retention ponds, artificial lakes and water works to improve production systems; Reduction of soil erosion due to the presence of a vegetative cover that will help reduce wind speed and facilitate the infiltration of rainwater, increasing organic matter contributing to the restructuring of degraded soils; Increasing the rate of reforestation in the grip of GGWSSI for the restoration of ecological balance, conservation, recovery of plant and animal biodiversity and increased coverage of local needs for forest products, including wood and fire service, but also in non-wood products (gums, resins, roots, leaves, bark, fruits, etc. pharmacopoeia), and Improvement of the peoples’ standard of living and health through income generation and development of basic social infrastructure that will help bring back the "ecological migrants" into their rehabilitated areas.
The overall goal of the GGWSSI is to improve the resilience of human and natural systems in the Sahel-Saharan zone against climate changes through a sound ecosystems management and the sustainable development of land resources, the protection of material and immaterial rural heritage and the improvement of the living conditions and livelihoods of populations living in these areas. The GGWSSI has been conceived as a model to help in the fight against desertification, ensure ecosystem restoration and development of arid and semi-arid zones.