Challenges and Prospects of Commercial Agriculture Enterprise Development and the Afar Pastoralists: The case of Tendaho Dam and Irrigation Project.
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Date
2008-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
The research is based on pastoralists' experiences with developments of large scale
irrigated commercial plantations in the Awash basin. Several studies have made explicit
that pastoralists in one way or another have lost their grazing and watering sites for
development of irrigated commercial plantations in past decades. Consequently, pastoral
communities by large have become resistant to developments that could alter natural
pasture from nomadic pastoralism. Their resistance emanates from previous governments
commercial plantation initiatives that had resource centered approaches with minimal
community participation and respect to pastoral values. Thus, there is a need to
understand the implementation process of the new Tednaho Dam and Irrigation Project
on pastoral communities.
The project's sugarcane plantation, irrigation scheme, dam construction and reservoir
site allocation introduce new changes on nomadic pastoralism for Zone One of Afar
National Regional State. Compulsory displacement and reselllement programs,
compensation payments and pastoral communities ' development schemes are parts of the
coping strategies introduced. In these respects, the study applied the Inadequate Inputs
Approach and the inherently Complexity Approach to examine the development-induced
displacement and resettlement programs. The concept of project planning is also
employed for understanding of the planning and implementing phases of compensation
payments, irrigated pasture developments and for other project and pastoral community
integrating initiatives.
The study findings are based on qualitative data and supported by quantitative ones. The
study shows pastoral communities are uncertain whether the new development will make
them beneficiary or contribute to exacerbate their livelihood conditions. Lack of proper
planning and coordinated work in implementation processes and pastoralists' negative
perceptions towards commercial agricultures have shadowed project objectives. The
project has aggravated the pastoral communities concern since failed development
initiatives that had worsened their livelihood conditions are a near past experiences from
previous regimes.
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Keywords
Commercial Agriculture, Enterprise Development