Climate Change and Women

Climate change is currently an emerging issue in the globe. MCDP is seriously observing the impacts of current climate variability on the food security, water and energy supply for rural community in general and poor rural women in particular through causing natural resource degradation and natural disasters. In response to this actual and potential threat to poor women in rural areas, MCDP has carried out natural resource management and women resilience to climate change. Accordingly MCDP pursues the following strategies

Natural Resource Conservation:

Ethiopia faces multiple climate-related challenges. Green House Gas emissions are increasing due to population growth, industrialization and the expansion of agricultural activities. Its climate is varied and complex and this is a challenge to policymaking. There is consensus that natural resources, especially those of land, soil, water, forest, plant and animal diversity, vegetation, renewable energy sources and climate change are fundamental for improving livelihoods and achieving sustainable development in Ethiopia. There is evidence of climate change in Ethiopia over the past 50 years. Droughts and floods have increased in frequency which, when combined with increased variability, have had a major negative impact on growth in agriculture. Additionally, agricultural livelihoods are extremely vulnerable to climate, so the climate change impact and cost to agriculture are potentially large. This would increase food insecurity and the vulnerability of communities. Understanding the complexity of this challenge, MCDP tries to apply holistic approaches to facilitate a socially equitable, economically efficient and environmentally sound developmentin implementing the activities described in the subsequent sections:

• Afforestation and Soil and water conservation;
• Promotion and provision of fuel wood saving technology (i.e. bio-gas, solar light etc.)
• Local level Dialogue;

Picture of projects will be included

Energy Saving and Sanitary Facilities:

Ethiopia’s national energy balance is dominated by traditional (biomass) fuels. The fact that the majority of biomass supplies are coming from an unsustainable resource base coupled with the use of very low efficiency household cooking appliances poses serious environmental concerns.Women are not only energy users, but also major suppliers of traditional fuels in Ethiopia. More than two-thirds of traditional fuels are supplied by poor urban and rural women. Therefore, all interventions in the energy sector need to pay attention to the gender aspects as well. Under this intervention MCDP does the following:

• Construction of bio-gas facilities to the community from human feces and local litters/refuses;
• Solar shower;
• Solar light;
• Communal latrines;
• Communal kitchens.

Urban and Rural Agriculture:

MCDP intends to tackle urban food insecurity and nutrition problems of poor households in the urban center where space for farming is severe problems. Thus it primarily focuses on innovative mechanisms of producing vegetables on small-plastic sacks filled with soil and nutrients as well as promoting poultry production so that the target community produces both for domestic consumption and local market. Furthermore, MCDP also intervenes in rural agriculture development supports for its target. Accordingly MCDP has been doing the following:

• Provision of training on urban gardening and agronomy practices to households;
• Introducing tree and fruit seedlings;
• Support for poultry production;
• Provision of improved seeds, fertilizers and animal breeds through voucher schemes-cost sharing approach

Promoting Urban Gardening and Seed IGA

Promoting Awareness on Urban Agriculture through Reflect groups:

MCDP works to raise the awareness through organizing Reflect Groups and bringing to the attention of local administration and relevant government body as well as organizing workshop and meetings at the local level.