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