Grazing Exclosure for Watershed Management and Livelihoods in Amhara National Regional State of Ethiopia

Abstract

This document provides a draft strategy for the regional up-scaling of grazing exclosure in the highlands of Amhara National Regional State of Ethiopia, proposed by International Livestock Research Institute researchers in partnership with the Community Based Integrated Natural Resource Management Project, implemented by Amhara Bureau of Agriculture. The document was prepared in response to the synthesis and consensus achieved during a multi-stakeholder watershed management workshop was held in Bahir Dar, Amhara, Ethiopia in November 2017. The complementary and robust selection of stakeholder groups provided for challenging and thought-provoking discussions on the successes in watershed management, the challenges that remain, and what improvements can be made to the approach. Strong emphasis was placed on deliberation of the future of grazing exclosure in the region. In this draft version, the document outlines a general strategy for the regional up-scaling of grazing exclosure in Amhara, the groups of stakeholders likely to be key players in up-scaling, and an initial proposal for general roles and responsibilities according to the possible relative advantages of various institutions and stakeholder groups. The document specifically does not include complete details for how to accomplish the strategy, which requires further discussion, clarification, and preparation of a forthcoming manual once consensus agreement is reached among stakeholders. Accordingly, the following priority actions were determined as important elements of any strategy for the regional up-scaling of grazing exclosure in Amhara: creating greater environmental awareness; improving access to alternative technologies; improving community access to finance and markets; enhancing the effectiveness of community institutions that oversee communal lands; more systematic monitoring and evaluation; and regional policy formulation with regard to grazing lands and their management.