Natural Resources
Low-cost sustainable reforestation with seedballs
The project addresses the global challenge of affordable and sustainable reforestation in Guinea with the local resource seedball as a potential solution. Current reforestation projects try to reduce costs by concentrating on single tree species which requires expensive nurseries and create unsustainable monocultures. In contrast, through an affordable, efficient, bottom-up and participatory approach, arboRise increases the number of species and selects those trees useful for the local population. Millions of seeds are harvested locally by local residents, coated with a protective mixture of charcoal and clay, and directly sown in the same region on multiple land patches. The ForDev Group will assess the social impact of the actions to ensure an adaptive and responsive reforestation process. Thereby importance is given to socially informed dialogues and monitoring processes, which can provide access and control rights over restored landscapes, giving control to local communities over their development pathway. By demonstrating the performance of low-cost sustainable reforestation with seedballs, the project aims to boost reforestation projects worldwide to ultimately provide a major contribution in the fight against climate change.
Focus Countries: Guinea
Contact: Dr. Claude Garcia
Partners: external pagearboRise; external pageGuinée Développement Rural et Environnement (Guidre), Guinea
ETH4D Grant: ETH4D Research Challenges Grant
Drought Characterization and Forecast in the Horn of Africa (Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia)
Drought is one hydro-climatic phenomenon causing havoc on society, the economy, and the environment. It has impeded development throughout human civilization and is considered one of the most economically impactful natural disasters due to its extensive spatial coverage and prolonged duration. The impacts of droughts are particularly devastating in regions such as the Horn of Africa, where rainfed agriculture and livestock farming are the primary sources of economy for a large majority of the population.
Governments, stakeholders, and societies in the Horn of Africa emphasize drought crisis management more than drought forecasting and mitigation planning in advance of an event. Adequate understanding of past drought events and improved, operational, dynamic, and adaptable drought forecast systems are vital to effectively supporting drought early warning, preparedness, and risk management. This project aims to develop an innovative framework that links past drought characteristics, drought forecasts, and potential mitigation options and adaptation strategies for Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia.
Focus Countries: Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia
Contact: Tamirat Haile, Prof. Paolo Burlando
Partners: external pageAdama Science and Technology University, external pageArba Minch University, external pageUniversity of Zurich
ETH4D Grant: E4D Doctoral Scholarship