The
SUN approach in Amhara covered three main aspects: (i) organizational
development of land user communities and of their institutional
and legal framework (ii) conservation of soil and water resources
through physical and biological watershed treatment and (iii)
innovative agricultural produce, implements or income sources
(e.g., triticale, improved plough).
ECO’s accomplishment was based on capacity building and
organizational development. To ensure holistic development of
watershed management, facilitation and training were provided
to local communities promoting technical (bio-physical) and
organizational issues. The technical training comprised nursery
establishment, gully and terrace stabilization, spring development,
irrigation dams, afforestation, enrichment planting and access
roads. To this end the communities were familiarized with appropriate
land use mapping, participatory planning procedures as well
as drafting appropriate watershed management by-laws.
Organizing and empowering communities to take watershed development
into their hands required that a representative body (watershed
association) be institutionalized as a legal person mandated
to set up a binding and enforceable bylaw for natural resource
use.In addition the introduction and dissemination of Triticale
has been an efficient way of bringing about production and productivity
increases and thus improving household income and household
food supplies.
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| Holistic watershed
management helped secure agricultural productivity.
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