Global Water Initiative East Africa (GWI EA) is a fiveyear
programme funded by the Howard G. Buffett
Foundation and implemented by CARE. Through action
research that informs advocacy, the programme seeks
to influence future investment in water for smallholder
farmers within Ethiopia, Tanzania and Uganda, and more
widely across East Africa. By using district-level Learning
and Practice Alliances (LPAs), the programme explores
the use of innovative techniques and technologies for
more effective management and utilisation of water
for smallholder farming. The key goal is to ensure
smallholder farmers become more resilient to shocks
and achieve greater food security.
This paper is a summary brief of a baseline report
produced by a consultant, Ashagrie Ayalew, employed
by the GWI programme to conduct a baseline study
in Dera woreda, in Ethiopia. The overall objective of
the consultancy was to establish baseline information
on agriculture water management and food security,
investment in agriculture water management and
farmers’ voice and influence in decision-making on
agriculture water management in the woreda, to serve
as a benchmark for monitoring the programme’s results.
However, the report and this brief are also important in
providing an overview of the food and water security
situation in Dera woreda, highlighting key lessons on
areas that need attention in policy and implementation.
The data collection methods used forthe baseline include;
household survey of 450 householdsin six kebeles of Dera
woreda, key informant interviews with kebele and woreda
level agriculture staff and review of available literature
in the woreda Agriculture and Finance and Economic
Development office.