Assessing Collaboration of Local Stakeholder Institutions in Helping Farmers to Adapt to Imate Variability Impacts: A Case Study in Mereb Leke Woreda, Tlgray, Ethiopia

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Date

2013-06

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Addis Ababa University

Abstract

Ethiopia, a county characterized by climate sensitive economy, where the agricultural sector has the largest GDP share and the GDP rises and falls about a year following the changes in average rainfall, in general; the potentially devastating impacts of climate variability on livelihoods and economies in Ethiopia make adaptation to these adverse impacts, a top priority for the country. Institutionally, adding to the existing public and private institutions, the country has a long history of religious and civil society organizations, including local savings groups, mutual self-help groups and regional development associations. Hence, it is important to understand the extent to which these stakeholder institutions are collaboratively involved in enhancing adaptation activities at the grass root level. The study uses Mereb Leke woreda (one of the drought prone woredas in Tigray) as a case study, and examines the collaboration of local stakeholder institutions over improving the ability of farmers to adapt to climate variability impacts; and assesses if there are particular constraints which limit the collaboration oflocal stakeholder institutions in local adaptation practices. The study is based on interviews with key informants; FGDs with farmers; semistructured interviews with leaders and staffs of key stakeholder institutions, along with review of documents from relevant institutions. Many representatives of the woreda level governmental offices and agencies; NGO's; labia level government institutions; informal community institutions including religious institutions and local savings groups were ยท interviewed. The study concludes that strong collaborative experiences and culture amongst the local stakeholder institutions, with the required skills and trust has not yet been developed. Lack of finance, lack of skills and capacities, top-down administrative culture, rapid staff turnover, and lack of facilitator and clear regulation on collaboration has been found as major constraints to institutional collaboration in the woreda.

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Keywords

Colloboration, Stakeholder institutions, Climate variability impacts, Local adaptation measures

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