The Climate Investment Funds (CIF) has approved a $500 million plan to help Ethiopia restore its degraded land, protect forests, and improve food security. This initiative will directly target areas suffering from land degradation, particularly in drought-prone regions.
Investment and Co-Financing Details
The CIF board has committed $37 million from its Nature, People, and Climate programme. This funding is expected to mobilize an additional $492 million in co-financing from key investors, including the World Bank and the African Development Bank.
The program aims to address the urgent challenges of land degradation, food insecurity, and climate resilience in Ethiopia.
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Addressing Ethiopia’s Land Degradation Crisis
Ethiopia faces significant land degradation, with over half of the country experiencing some level of environmental damage. Around 11 million hectares are at risk of turning into desert. The Nature, People, and Climate programme aims to combat this by restoring more than 320,000 hectares of land, including wild Arabica coffee forests, farmlands, and rangelands across Ethiopia’s Amhara, Oromia, South Ethiopia, and Somali regions.
Improving Food Security and Agricultural Productivity
The initiative will focus on restoring agricultural land, boosting food security, and increasing agricultural productivity. This plan will benefit millions of smallholder farmers and pastoralists in rural Ethiopia by regenerating soil health and improving water conservation.
The project is a key part of the Ethiopian government’s long-term strategy to enhance economic sustainability and reduce poverty.
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Long-Term Goals and Collaboration
Paul Hartman, CIF’s lead for nature programmes, emphasized the importance of addressing land degradation and its impact on livelihoods. As countries gather in Riyadh for global talks on land degradation, Hartman stressed the need for countries to integrate these challenges into their climate change and biodiversity strategies.
The plan also includes the creation of an online registry to monitor Ethiopia’s forests, supporting ongoing efforts in forest management and afforestation.
Funding Sources and Project Focus
Ethiopia has already secured significant funding from co-investors for afforestation and reforestation projects. Additional funds will come from private and philanthropic investors in the coming months. Projects will focus on sustainable farming, soil regeneration, water conservation, and the restoration of degraded landscapes.
This major funding initiative represents a crucial step toward improving Ethiopia’s climate resilience and creating a more sustainable agricultural system.
