Dam Enables Three Harvests a Year

A new dam has changed the lives of a farming family in Tigray, Ethiopia, after years of unpredictable rainfall. The construction of a barrier across a small water course has established a reservoir of water, which has ensured two to three harvests annually. This dam has been a key factor in the community's efforts to adapt to climate change.

Beriha Goitom and her husband, Berhane Gebru, are two of the inhabitants who have benefited from the dam: "Before the irrigation there was just one harvest, but because of the dam, we are paying off our credit, buying animal feed and sending our
children to school. We do not waste; we save and pay off the loan. Last year we repaid 75% of it."

Berhane Gebru and Beriha Goitom in front of their modern beehives together with their daughter Masho and granddaughter Tsegay From Swamp to Desert: Beriha Goitom, 49, has lived in the area all her life. For 35 years she has been married to Berhane Gebru, who is now 55. The family compound has a typical adobe hut with children and dogs running around. The couple has seven children between the ages of 10 and 34, and three grandchildren.

"This dry mountainous area was cold and there was high rainfall," says Beriha, "and this patch of farmland was a swamp. Crop production was difficult because of water logging. But as time went on, the moisture level fell and the temperature got very high. The upper catchment area was highly eroded.

"In addition to drought and high temperatures, hail is becoming a problem. This is a new trend.

"Before there were hail stones, but they were not as big. For the past few years, big hail stones have fallen every year during kiremt, affecting our teff, barley, wheat and pepper crops."

Dam Compensates for Change in Rain Patterns: Beriha goes on to describe the problem with the rains: "Sometimes the rainy season comes early and finishes early. The seedlings sometimes die because of the shortage of water. The rainy season is now short; itcan appear any time between June and December - you cannot predict when. Also, the amount of rain varies each day; one day you will have a downpour, the next a light shower. The distribution of rainfall used to be much more even."

The new dam allows water to build up during the wet season and, with the assistance of electric pumps, the farmers can irrigate their fields throughout the year, allowing them to make a second, and sometimes even a third, harvest.

Berhane Gebru A Surplus at Last: The dam has also made it possible to introduce new crops: "In the past, we had the traditional crops," says Beriha, "but now we have also introduced fruit and vegetables. We consume what we need and sell the rest. Previously there was no excess at all, but now we have been selling the surplus for the last four years. Our house used to be a small hut, but now there are two rooms with a corrugated iron roof.

"With the extra income, we have started sending our children to school for the first time.

"Our eldest son, Kinfe, who is 20, has completed high school and is to go to college next year. He lives in the nearest town, 35 kilometres away. He wants to become a government employee. When he has enough money, he is going to buy us a Holstein cow, which costs about 9,000 birr ($800). Our 10-year-old son, Aregawi, was planning to join the Church, but now he wants to go to school and get a job. All our children want to go to school now."

A regional NGO, the Relief Society of Tigray (REST), helped the family with the dam construction.

Beriha Goitom "REST also extended microcredit that has allowed us to buy two cows that produce more milk, and we were also able to buy five modern beehives. The hives can produce a maximum of 75 kg per year and one kilo can sell for 40 birr ($3.50)."

Plans and Hopes for the Future: Beriha and Berhane are positive about the future. Their area now has small patches of cultivation and clumps of trees, and the turquoise dam is populated by wading birds. Beriha, who works from 7:30 am to 5:00 pm planting, hoeing and weeding, explains the effects the adaptive strategies are having on their lives: "The temperature has mostly become higher in the places where there is no vegetation. But now, locally, the temperature is good." Increased vegetation has improved the micro climate in the area and although Beriha acknowledges that it has not completely recovered, there is a positive trend.

The couple also has ideas about how to further improve the work they have started: "A dam in the upper catchment area and a reservoir would be good. We want to expand irrigation and start growing oranges and bananas. If it gets too much for us, we will hire day-labourers!"

Ethiopia

Ethiopia covers an area of 1,104,300 square km and has a population of 85.2 million. The extreme poverty rate is 23% and the literacy rate is 43%. Approximately 66% of children are in school. Agricultural production amounts to almost 50% of Ethiopia’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Tigray state: Beriha Goitom and Berhane Gebru live in the most northerly regional state of Ethiopia, Tigray. The Tigrayan landscape is dominated by crags, cliffs, mountains and ravines. The mean annual temperature is now around 15-20˚C. There are two rainy seasons; a shorter period of rains called belg from February to May and kiremt between June and September. The traditional crops are teff, barley, peppers and maize. Because of widespread infertile conditions, and heavy reliance on the rains, the area has suffered from food shortages and famines.