An estimated 92 000 hectares of forests and woodlands, as well as 2 billion metric tons of fertile soil are lost every year in Ethiopia due to improper land use, poor land management practices, population pressure, overgrazing, deforestation and climate change.

Action Against Desertification works on the restoration of over 3 251 hectares of arid and semi-arid land in Ethiopia’s Amhara, Tigray and Afar regions, focusing on the following activities:

Integrated restoration of landscapes: 3 251 ha were restored through natural regeneration, plantation and water conservation. These activities benefited 2 313 people, with 32 percent of those beneficiaries being women. Practices for SLM were implemented on 199 ha. Plantation occurred with 510 kg of seeds and 2 442 002 seedlings of ten woody and agroforestry species.

Diversification of livelihoods: providing inputs and training to 900 households to re-green their degraded lands. Developing non-timber forest products including gum Arabic, lowland fruits and honey.

Capacity development: Twelve trainings and workshops were organized in Ethiopia, reaching a total of 478 beneficiaries. The majority of these activities were on restoration and plantation, with others focusing on market analysis and development and NTFPs.

Improving the curricula and supporting researchers and research projects in the fields of desertification and restoration.