Managing Environmental Resources for Climate Change Adaptation in Ethiopia

The Managing Environmental Resources to Enable Transition (MERET) program operates in 72 highly vulnerable and chronically food-insecure districts throughout Ethiopia. Each year approximately 122 000 people in crisis-prone food-insecure communities benefit from the project. Participating households provide labour in exchange for food rations on initiatives such as a tree planting the construction of structures designed to reduce soil erosion and increase water retention and the enclosure of these treated watersheds to prevent grazing from free-range livestock. A total of 131 987 hectares of severely degraded land was rehabilitated with previous CIDA support in 2008 and 2009. By providing new resources to expand on these impressive results this project helps more vulnerable Ethiopians achieve long-term food security and withstand the effects of climate change. All CIDA disbursements for this project have been completed.