An article in The Guardian reports on the remarkable transformation of degraded land in Ethiopia and how other countries hope to follow suit.

Abrha Weatsbha in the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia was severely degraded 15 years ago as a result of successive droughts and overgrazing by animals; leaving barren hillsides and communities needing constant food aid.

Following a massive restoration effort by farming communities to plant millions of trees and shrubs, today the hillsides are green, the wells are recharged, the soils are in better shape and fruit trees are growing in the valleys.

These efforts are to be replicated across one sixth of Ethiopia, an area the size of England and Wales, in order to reduce soil erosion, increase food security and adapt to climate change. This move is expected to vastly increase the amount of food grown in one of the most drought- and famine-prone areas of the world.

“The experience of Tigray, where over 224,000 hectares of land has now been restored shows that recovery of vegetation in dryland areas can be very fast,” says Chris Reij from the World Resources Institute.” Tigray is now much more food secure than it was 10 years ago.”

Farmers have not just planted trees. They have built miles of terraces and low wall to hold back erosion and allowed natural regeneration to occur. Reij says the people here may have moved more earth and stone than the Egyptians did over thousands of years to build the pyramids.

In addition to Ethiopia’s commitment to restore degraded land, other commitments have come from countries around the world and many more are expected in the coming months, especially as the restoration of degraded land is expected to qualify for carbon credits. Africa is leading this effort. In Niger, over 200 million trees have been planted, resulting in an additional  500,000 tonnes of food grown in the country as well as an increase in biodiversity and incomes. In Burkina Faso, where 2-300,000 hectares of land has been regreened, food production has grown about 80,000 tons a year; enough to feed an extra 500,000 people.

Read the full story: Regreening program to restore one-sixth of Ethiopia's land

See also: Ethiopia’s northern landscape transformed with trees