Empowering Youth and Women through Land Restoration: A Grassroots Story

The Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT – in partnership with SoS Sahel Ethiopia, through the Diversification in East and Southern Africa (Ukama Ustawi) initiative – placed a groundbreaking focus on capacity building and market-oriented improved forage cultivation integration with land restoration efforts in the Hawassa Zuria District of the Sidama Region.

The engagement exemplifies how environmental restoration and sustainable livelihoods can go hand in hand, by showcasing an approach where community-driven initiatives can simultaneously restore degraded lands and create sustainable livelihoods. By placing youth and women at the center, this serves as a scalable model for achieving environmental restoration and improved livelihoods. With continued collaboration and support, this approach can scale to inspire similar efforts across Ethiopia and beyond, building a more sustainable and prosperous future.