Africa’s soils are threatened. Alone in the Sahel zone, each year huge areas of arable land are turned into desert. Today only three percent of Ethiopia’s surface is forest. The reasons are many: overgrazing, deforestation for urgently needed firewood, population growth and climatic change – to name only a few. All this causes a depletion of the soils, and vast stretches of fertile land are washed or blown away.

Hand in hand with Ethiopian farmers, Menschen für Menschen is working in all project regions to improve the traditional methods of cultivation. The laying out of terraced fields and stabilisation by deep-rooting vetiver grass is a first measure for countering erosion which has a long-term effect. For replanting, up to seven million saplings are grown every year in nurseries.
In order to not only maintain, but increase the country’s remaining stock of trees, Ethiopia Relief has initiated reafforestation programmes in conjunction with the distribution of wood-saving clay ovens and organisation of training courses for ecological cultivation. Menschen für Menschen is depending on farmers sharing their knowledge and the idea spreading throughout the country.

For successful foreign aid Karlheinz Böhm has been awarded an honorary doctorship in agroecology by the Ethiopian University of Alemaya. Wherever he can implement agricultural reforms, ecological sustainability and the improvement of harvests secure the livelihood of farmers and their families.

Production and distribution of 79.3 million saplings for reafforestation

Agricultural training for 40,130 participants

A total length of 28,995 km of terraces, stone and earth embankments as protection against erosion

Reafforestation of 1,284 hectares of land

Planting of vetiver grass for soil conservation on 2,592.16 square kilometres