By Awdenegest Moges, Rediet Girma and Wolde Mekuria
Land degradation in Halaba has been a persistent challenge, marked by gully erosion threatening farmers’ livelihood and the landscape’s sustainability. However, a remarkable success story from the Sifame village in Habibo Furana kebele, Halaba, Ethiopia shines as a beacon of hope, revealing the power of family-driven restoration efforts.
The central figure of this story is Yeshi Sheh Mohammed, an elderly farmer who shares a strong bond with the land. Near his homestead, there was a gully, a formidable sight with an average top width of 24 meters, tapering to 19 – 20 meters at the bottom and dropping to a depth of 3.6 meters.
Five years ago, Yeshi made a heartfelt vow “I shall ‘sew’ the land together before I die.” With this promise, he and his family embarked on an ambitious journey to rehabilitate a large gully close to their homestead. Yeshi saw the potential for change! Even as an individual, he was determined to make a difference and become an example to his fellow farmers.
A sustainable way to ‘sew’ the land is by building barriers and using the roots of plants. The rehabilitation process started with the construction of a series of cross-bunds along the gully floor. These bunds, placed 6 – 8 meters apart, were built to a thickness of 60 centimeters and a height of 1.1 meters. Over time, the bunds proved effective in stopping soil erosion and capturing runoff. Behind them, around 50 centimeters of soil accumulated, causing the height of the bunds to decrease to just 62 centimeters.
The highlight of this achievement was the planting of bamboo across the entire gully floor. Within three years, the bamboo thrived, with its roots sewing the soil to make it stable against erosion. Bamboo provided a reliable source of income for the family as it is in high demand, especially for constructing roofs, showcasing the economic and environmental value of this approach.
The site visit to Sifame village demonstrated the transformative power of local ingenuity and commitment. This initiative stands as an excellent example of using bamboo for gully erosion control and rehabilitation, showcasing a replicable model for other kebeles in Halaba as well as communities facing similar challenges elsewhere. Yeshi Sheh Mohammed’s story is a powerful reminder of how one individual’s vision, paired with practical solutions, can restore landscapes, and inspire a legacy of stewardship for generations to come.
This work was carried out through the Reversing Environmental Degradation in Africa and Asia – Local-level land degradation assessment towards Sustainable land Management for Improved Livelihood in the Ethiopian Rift Valley (REDAA – SMILE) project.