Scaling up the Green Legacy Initiative to boost climate resilience for smallholder farmers and vulnerable groups
PENHA is pleased to announce its role as a co-executing agency, alongside the Landscape Alliance (CIFOR), in a new five-year project funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) / Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF). The project will be implemented in close collaboration with Ethiopian Forestry Development (EFD) under the Ministry of Agriculture.
The project, ‘’Scaling up the Green Legacy Initiative Best Practices to enhance the climate resilience of smallholder farmers and vulnerable groups in Ethiopia”, will build on the Government of Ethiopia’s flagship Green Legacy Initiative (GLI). It aims to:
- Promote climate-resilient forest and agricultural landscape restoration
- Reduce the vulnerability of local communities to climate impacts
- Support nature-based livelihoods and value chains
- Create more green jobs for women and youth
Activities will be implemented across six priority districts (woredas) that combine strong GLI engagement with high levels of land degradation, deforestation, climate vulnerability and dependence on natural resources.
Four Interlinked Components:
Component 1: Strengthening the Enabling Environment
This component focuses on creating the policies, institutions and systems needed to support effective climate adaptation. Key activities include:
- Training government officials and technical experts
- Strengthening coordination platforms at different levels
- Training development agents
- Developing climate information services
- Mobilizing additional adaptation finance
Component 2: Forest and Landscape Restoration
This component aims to restore ecosystems that underpin community livelihoods. The main interventions are:
- Participatory Forest Management (PFM)
- Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR)
- Agroforestry
- Watershed rehabilitation
Targets include the restoration of 18,000 hectares of degraded land and the training of 120 cooperative representatives. Expected outcomes include improved soil fertility, increased groundwater recharge, reduced erosion, enhanced biodiversity and greater resilience to droughts and floods.
Component 3: Building Climate-Resilient Livelihoods
To reduce dependence on climate-sensitive farming and strengthen incomes, this component will:
- Support climate-resilient agricultural practices
- Develop nature-based enterprises
- Improve value chains and strengthen market access
- Promote entrepreneurship and financial literacy
- Encourage private-sector engagement
The project aims to directly support 3,000 vulnerable people, train communities in business development and value addition, and improve market linkages for agricultural and forest products. Expected results include increased household income, reduced poverty, more diversified livelihoods and reduced pressure on forests and natural resources.
Component 4: Knowledge Management and Monitoring
To support learning and scaling, the project will:
- Establish robust monitoring and evaluation systems
- Capture and document lessons learned
- Produce knowledge products
- Carry out communication and outreach activities
This will enable better replication of successful adaptation practices and strengthen national learning and policy influence.
Geographic Focus
The project will be implemented in six districts (woredas):
- Oromia Region: Girawa, Merti, Wonchi
- Amhara Region: Bati, Argoba
- Central Ethiopia Region: Misha
These districts have been selected due to their strong engagement in the Green Legacy Initiative and the severity of land degradation, deforestation and climate risks, combined with high dependence on agriculture and natural resources.
Project design has been participatory, ensuring that it reflects realities on the ground, meets local needs and takes advantage of identified opportunities. Under a Project Preparation Grant, PENHA worked with EFD, Landscape Alliance and international consultants over an extended period to develop the project, with baseline assessments and a series of consultations with regional and district administrations.
Through this partnership, PENHA will draw on its long-standing experience in dryland livelihoods, natural resource management and community-based approaches, across ecological zones, including forests and woodlands, to help scale up successful GLI practices and strengthen climate resilience for some of Ethiopia’s most vulnerable rural communities.
