Livelihood Baselines for Ethiopia Will Improve Programming

THURSDAY, MARCH 26, 2009 (ADDIS ABABA) – The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) joined the Government of Ethiopia’s Disaster Management and Food Security Sector (DMFSS) today to launch the largest set of livelihood baselines in Africa.  After three years of investing in a successful, nationwide system of livelihood mapping and analysis, the new data will help inform policy decisions and improve effectiveness of early warning and response, risk reduction and development programs.

“These analysis tools are the most comprehensive set of baselines in Africa, providing context for newcomers and experts in development,” Glenn Anders, USAID Mission Director said.  “We must ensure that the analysis is used by donors, government officials, and NGOs to better inform development and humanitarian responses.”  Ato Mitiku Kassa, State Minister for the DMFSS, and Ato Mathewos Hunde, Director of the Early Warning and Response Directorate, DMFSS, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, joined Anders at the official launching ceremony held at the Ghion Hotel. 

Ethiopia has a good record of detecting major crises, especially droughts stretching from 1977 to date, through its early warning system and the national disaster management system.  Both of these systems, however, are relief-oriented.  The systems are now under reform and a proactive disaster risk management approach that supports sustainable development is being developed.   As part of this new direction, these new baselines will help assess needs, contribute to contingency planning, support PSNP programming, and identify policy issues. 

The new livelihood baselines will help development leaders better understand the risk of food or livelihood insecurity of rural populations.  Livelihoods refers to how a family makes ends meet from year to year and how they survive (or sometimes might fail to survive) through difficult times.  In developing the baselines, key informant and focus group interviews were held with over 56,000 people throughout rural Ethiopia including woreda officials, community leaders and community members. 

Livelihood baselines are already completed for seven out of the nine regions.  Funding for the baselines was given by the American people through USAID with technical support provided by FEG Consulting, Save the Children UK in Somali and Afar, and FEWSNET in SNNPR under the management of the Livelihood Integration Unit (LIU) who has working in Tigray, Amhara, Harari, Dire Dawa City Administration, and Oromiya. The LIUs baseline work in Benishangul and Gambella will be completed by the end of April 2009.  Livelihood profiles can be downloaded at www.dppc.gov.et/Livelihoods/livelihoodhome.htm