When drought and famine struck the northeast regions of Ethiopia including the Bati district yet again in 2003, an appeal for aid was made by the Government of Ethiopia. This time, the request was for a more comprehensive approach, which would not only meet the immediate food needs of those affected, but would also address the underlying causes of chronic food insecurity.

With support from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and Canada’s Sprott Foundation, CHF and ORDA (an Ethiopian non-profit organization) came together to develop a long-term plan to overcome the recurring cycle of drought, famine and humanitarian assistance.

The aim was to alleviate chronic dependency on food aid. We deliberately chose one of the most seriously drought-affected areas in the country in which to work, so that we could design and test a solid body of practice that could then be replicated elsewhere.

The execution of the project was based on partnership. It was the ORDA project office in Bati that led the planning and implementation of project activities. CHF, in turn, provided technical assistance to strengthen ORDA’s institutional capacity to implement the project. CHF also provided support in the areas of financial management, gender mainstreaming, and monitoring and evaluation.

CHF and ORDA worked closely with CIDA field staff to ensure the relevant lessons were captured and disseminated in Ethiopia, Canada and elsewhere.

Successes to date are considerable and will continue to accrue beyond the life of the project itself. Incomes have risen dramatically and better farming methods have led to improved productivity and soil conservation. In this drought-stricken Bati district, many people now have reliable access to water, through construction of ponds, hand dug wells and small scale irrigation systems.

Most importantly, a model has emerged — one that has the potential to be highly effective in alleviating chronic food security by complementing government efforts. This model — what we now call the Bati Model — has proven its ability to have a significant impact at the relatively large scale of ten kebeles and 47,000 food insecure people.

The project has demonstrated that in complementarity with the Ethiopian government’s Productive Safety Net Programme, chronic dependence on humanitarian assistance can be materially reduced. This publication offers a summary of what was done and what was learned in the process of achieving this result.

Today, Bati is far from an oasis. But there is a strong sense of hope that the back of the horrible cycle that has plagued this part of Ethiopia for years may finally be broken. There is also the belief that we’ve moved significantly further along in our understanding of how to alleviate chronic hunger in some of the most drought-affected areas in the world.