Water Brings New Life to Lalibela: Food Security and Agriculture
For almost 20 years, fifty-nine-year-old Gataye has farmed in Lalibela, Ethiopia. It can be backbreaking work under the best of circumstances—add the constant threat of water shortages, and Gataye was often faced with the danger of crops dying and his family going hungry.
“We relied on traditional irrigation methods, but often we did not have enough water because of wastage, flooding or blockages, and interruptions from soil erosion,” the father of six explains. “Maintenance of the system was also labor intensive and tiring.”
This combination of difficult conditions led to mounting hardships for Gataye and his neighbors. Crop yields were painfully low, and farmers lost valuable time constantly repairing the old system.
Gataye heard about IOCC’s work with other small farmers in his area and reached out to see if we could help. IOCC and HEKS (Swiss Church Aid), with funding from Bread for the World, came up with an ambitious solution.
IOCC and community members built a 300-meter (984-foot) irrigation canal that serves more than 200 families—around 1,000 people. The project also provided improved seeds and fruit tree seedlings to enable the community to grow different types of crops. “This modern system helps farmers to use water more efficiently, increase production, and improve our income,” says Gataye.
Now that he does not have to spend so much time maintaining an aged irrigation system, Gataye serves as the chairperson of his local canal committee. He is grateful to IOCC and has united his community to care for and protect the new canal.
