International DAAD Alumni Expert Seminar in Mekelle - Ethiopia

“Integrated solutions to answer challenges of food insecurity in times of climate change: learning from experiences of the Abreha we Atsbeha IWM project, Tigray Regional State, Ethiopia”

14th April to 25th April 2015, Mekelle, Ethiopia

The German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development Germany (BMZ) provided financial means through the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) for conducting a series of two Alumni Expert Seminars. One has been held from 14th of April to 25th of April 2015, another workshop will follow in 2016.  

Thie first expert seminar in 2015 was organized  and conducted by University of Siegen, Centre for International Capacity Development (CICD), in collaboration with the Relief Society of Tigray (REST), Ethiopian Institute of Architecture Building, Construction and City Development (EiABC) at Addis Ababa University, and Cologne University of Applied Sciences, Institute for Technology in the Tropics (ITT), gathered under the umbrella of the German Alumni Water Network (GAWN).

20 German Alumni participants from Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Sudan with professional background related to IWRM shared their experience with participants from Relief Society of Tigray, Mekelle University, Bureau of Agriculture, GIZ and other institutions in the area.
East African countries are grappling with the impacts of climate change and variability coupled with increased land degradation, poor natural resource management, population pressure and food insecurity. The highlands of Ethiopia have been facing these challenges for the last 3 decades. The Ethiopian Government together with regional and international partners have made positive progress in designing and implementing interventions for addressing land degradation issues and socio-economic development for poverty alleviation and improved food security. The Tigray region was therefore selected as a learning site because it is considered as model and live learning center for effective Natural Resource Management and Watershed Management. 
The overall objective of the DAAD expert seminar was to add value in terms of inspiring researchers and alumni in creating opportunities to learn from each other and in multiplying the good practices through the East African and local alumni who may work in policy making and implementation in their respective countries.
The specific objectives of the seminar were:
•    To share and enhance existing knowledge, skills and experiences of alumni in various fields of study coming from eastern African countries
•    To identify and document success stories and good practices
•    To identify challenges and gaps of the project
•    To contribute to further development of Abreha we Atsbeha and other similar IWM projects by giving scientific input on the gaps and challenges identified by the project.

Download the seminar report here.

Download here seminar outline and programme

GIZ Sustainable Land management Program Factsheet of the area