Print

 Arms Together for Better 

By:-Degarege Asefa

                                             Arms Together for Better  (1)

Crossing over the holy city of Lalibela town & rock hewn churches of 12th century, we drove for an hour with that sandy and zigzag shape road to reach to Gazgibla Woreda, waghemra zone. Our destination was to get Babu Watershed which was developed by Organization for Rehabilitation & Development in Amhara (ORDA) where the livelihood of many poor households hope is laid. While we dropped from our vehicle, a group of farmers had been cultivating their vegetable with a cultural song & boosting. All are member of "mahibere nigus association" which has 13 members (Female: 3) & bases Babu Watershed to grow crop & vegetable. Before, they were engaging in daily labor work and securing food was challenging since they were landless. 

Chief of the association farmer Nigus Legas, who is 32 and member of the association, is living in kebele 02 of Gazgibla woreda, waghemra zone. He remembered that the watershed was bare common land & nothing was there due to degradation. Later ORDA’S Development food security activity project had made a natural resource management activity on Babu Watershed and then built an irrigation canal of 4 km long which irrigates 151 hr. land and benefits 163 households, and farmer Nigus is one of. He said that their irrigation work covers 2.5 hr. land which was secured from government, and they are growing Potato, Garlic, Lettuce, Mango, avocado & coffee. 

                                             Arms Together for Better  (2)

The watershed has helped them to run bee keeping and have 41 modern and cultural hives. In addition they are fattening 47 sheep.

From the sale of crops and other activities related to the watershed, they saved 64,000.00 birr in bank, and they are planned to buy a car to engage in transport sector. Now their livelihood has a hope to be self-reliant in food and other life accommodations.

The watershed with its development in comprehensive land husbandry and irrigation has been benefiting 163 households by enabling them to participate in irrigation. ORDA’S development food security activity project is supporting the farmers technically like preparing crop calander for farmers.