Project Summary
Countries: Ethiopia
Delivery Partner: University of Greenwich
Project Partners: CIAT – Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical, Haramaya University, Makobu Enterprises Plc
Principal Investigator: Dr. Mofakkarul Islam, Associate Professor of Food Security, Environment and Development, University of Greenwich
Challenge
The project aims to transform farming systems in Ethiopia’s Central Rift Valley (CRV) drylands by scaling Nature-based Solutions (NbS) that enhance biodiversity, build climate resilience, and reduce poverty. Over 1.5 million CRV smallholders face mounting risks from drought, land degradation, and water scarcity, threatening food security and livelihoods. Promising NbS – such as agroforestry, conservation agriculture, regenerative grazing, and wetland restoration – already exist, yet their long-term effectiveness, scalability, trade-offs, and enabling conditions remain poorly evidenced, especially under changing climatic and socioeconomic dynamics.
Our theory of change is that by generating robust evidence on which NbS deliver the greatest co-benefits, co-designing pathways with communities and policymakers, and embedding these in supportive policy, finance, and extension systems, we can enable widespread adoption. Participatory System Dynamics Modelling (SDM), augmented by Artificial Intelligence, will assess NbS effectiveness and trade-offs, providing policymakers and development partners with credible evidence, decision support tools, and guidance, while participatory co-design processes will strengthen stakeholder capacity and ownership, thus supporting institutional reforms that promote NbS adoption at scale.
This in turn will deliver improved soil health, water retention, biodiversity, and climate resilience, enhancing farm productivity and diversifying incomes. All project outputs and engagement will actively consider Gender Equity and Social Inclusion (GESI), ensuring women, youth, and marginalised groups benefit from more equitable opportunities.
More on the project will be added soon.
In the meantime, explore our Projects page to discover the diverse portfolio of initiatives GCBC is supporting around the world, and see where our research is making an impact.
