Archive for: Ethiopia


Weathering Change takes us to Ethiopia, Nepal and Peru to hear the stories of women as they struggle to care for their families, while enduring crop failures and water scarcity. The film shows how women and families are already adapting to the climate change challenges that threaten their health and their livelihoods. The film is accompanied by a brief advocacy guide for viewers.

Year: 2011

Source: PAI [Film | Guide]

    The aim of PHE projects is to improve access to reproductive and other health services for vulnerable populations in rural and ecologically threatened areas, while at the same time empowering these communities to manage their natural resources in ways that benefit their livelihoods. By linking these issues, people are increasingly motivated to change behaviors that threaten their health and environment. The PHE approach proposes that close collaboration and coordination across multiple sectors contributes to holistic results—people with improved health outcomes, diversified livelihoods, and stronger, more sustainable ecosystems. This publication features insights from four ongoing PHE projects in East Africa—two led by Pathfinder International and two by Deutsche Stiftung Weltbevölkerung (DSW)—and provides recommendations for those seeking to refine the PHE development framework. The projects described are located in Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya.

    Year: 2013

    Source: Pathfinder International | DSW

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      This document describes a computer simulation model that can clarify the dynamic relationships between climate change, food security, and population growth. It is designed to be simple enough to adapt to individual countries to introduce population issues into policy dialogues on adaptation to climate change in the context of food security. The model links a population projection, which takes account of the effects of climate change on agriculture, with a food requirements model that uses Food and Agricultural Organization formulas. Piloted in Ethiopia, the model shows that the food security gap in Ethiopia is expected to be greater with climate change than the food security gap without climate change. It also shows the potential of family planning to address this gap. The report concludes that the model can serve as a starting point for a dialogue about the importance of taking into account population factors when adapting to climate change with regard to food security.

      Year: 2012

      Source: MEASURE Evaluation

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        These maps by Population Action International shows how climate change and population dynamics will change the world over time. Country profiles of Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Nepal, and Peru are included with maps, graphs, videos, and additional resources on population, gender, and climate change trends. Interactive maps illustrate how climate change impacts, demographic trends, and the need for contraception are likely to affect countries’ abilities to adapt to climate change. The maps also identify 26 population and climate change hotspots. In many countries, a high proportion of women lack access to reproductive health services and contraceptives. Investments in family planning programs in these hotspots could improve health and well-being, slow population growth, and reduce vulnerability to climate change impacts.

        Year: 2011

        Source: PAI

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          The effects of global climate change are being felt disproportionately in the world’s poorest countries, where people are the least able to cope. As climate change adaptation strategies gain international attention, it is important to show how people are dealing with the effects of climate change, how they could become more resilient to these effects, and how people and communities can adapt to climate change. Using qualitative methods, PAI, in collaboration with Miz-Hsab Research Center and the Joint Global Change Research Institute, explored how Ethiopian communities react to and cope with climate variation, which groups are the most vulnerable, what resources communities need to adapt to climate change, and the role of family planning and reproductive health in increasing resilience to climate change impacts. This study was one of the first to explore the linkages of population, fertility and family size with aspects of vulnerability and resilience to climate change.

          Year: 2009

          Source: PAI

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            In rural Ethiopia, environmental degradation and a shortage of arable land impose a major toll on the population. Population, health, and environment (PHE) programs, such as that of the Ethio-Wetlands and Natural Resources Association (EWNRA), have evolved to address these issues. This article examines the community-based distribution (CBD) of family planning commodities in rural Ethiopia through EWNRA’s large, multisectoral PHE program. Participants indicated that the integrated program encouraged acceptance of family planning and reduced geographic barriers to access. Through peer education and collaboration across government ministries, EWNRA leveraged integrated population–environment messages to garner support for its network of CBD providers. These integration strategies are a model for PHE programs worldwide, especially amid the global response to climate change. Because of the complex nature of PHE organizations, researchers often find it difficult to effectively document and evaluate their programs. With this in mind, the article proposes a framework to assess PHE integration.

            Year: 2015

            Source: Studies in Family Planning

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              The Population Reference Bureau coordinated a comparative study of population, health, and environment (PHE) integration and cross-sectoral collaboration in East Africa. Teams from Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Rwanda assessed the state of PHE integration in their respective countries, through identifying relevant stakeholders; assessing the policy environment for cross-sectoral collaboration; highlighting the most salient population, health, and environment issues; and describing the current state of integration among projects, programs, and policies. Drawing lessons from countries where PHE programs have already been successfully implemented, this brief explores the PHE context, challenges, and opportunities for pursuing an integrated approach to development in Ethiopia, including identifying relevant stakeholders; assessing the policy environment for cross-sectoral collaboration; highlighting the most salient population, health, and environment issues; and describing the current state of integration among projects, programs, and policies. The paper highlights and explains several opportunities and entry points for pursuing a more holistic way to address the complex interactions between humans, their health, and the environment in Ethiopia.

              Year: 2007

              Source: Population Reference Bureau

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                A growing body of evidence indicates that climate change is decreasing the productivity of many crops around the world, thus exacerbating existing food security challenges. Ensuring sufficient food for a growing world population in the context of climate change will require innovative technologies and strategies to boost agricultural yields and improve access to nutritious foods for the world’s poorest people. This brief summarizes new research that demonstrates that slower population growth, achievable by addressing women’s existing needs for family planning, can also play a significant role in promoting future food security in a climate-altered world. The study focused on climate change impacts, food security challenges, and population growth in Ethiopia, and results suggest that meeting women’s existing needs for family planning should be considered in broader strategies for adapting to the impacts of climate change on agriculture.

                Year: 2012

                Source: MEASURE Evaluation

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                  The “Healthy People, Healthy Environment” film series transports viewers to Tanzania, Nepal, and Ethiopia to explore an innovative approach to international development called PHE. Each film documents the daunting challenges facing rural villages, including rapid population growth, environmental degradation, and food insecurity. But “Healthy People, Healthy Environment” inspires hope by showcasing the community-driven solutions that seek to protect both people and the ecosystems that sustain them. Includes three high-quality documentaries filmed on location:

                  • “Healthy People, Healthy Environment: Integrated Development in Tanzania” (BALANCED project, Pangani and Bagamoyo districts, northern Tanzania)
                  • “Scaling the Mountain: Protecting Forests for Families in Nepal” (RIMS project, Jogimara and Naubise, foothills of Nepal)
                  • “Paving the Way: Ethiopia’s Youth on the Road to Sustainability” (GPSDO Project, Gurage Zone, Ethiopia)

                  Year: 2015

                  Source: The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

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                    Parts of Africa have the most rapid population growth in the world. In addition, recent studies by climatologists suggest that, in coming decades, ecologically vulnerable areas of Africa, including the Sahel, will be exposed to the harshest adverse effects of global warming. Fortunately, there are evidence-based achievable policies which can greatly ameliorate what would otherwise be a slowly unfolding catastrophe of stunning magnitude. But to succeed, such measures must be taken immediately and on a large scale. Taken together, rapid population growth and climate change pose a serious threat to the livelihood of the majority of the one hundred million people now living in the Sahel region and about two hundred million more who will live there in a generation’s time. This paper encourages working across silos to address these interrelated challenges.

                    Year: 2013

                    Source: African Journal of Reproductive Health

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