Climate change and development : experiences from Ethiopia and the Mercy Corps" PRIME program

This report uses three case studies to describe PRIME"s climate integration activities, along with some key lessons learned over the course of the project"s first three years. The report is aimed at program designers and implementers, who may be able to apply it in the context of other projects and settings. The first case study presented was in Siminto. Here, PRIME revitalized the work of rangeland councils that had become fragmented over time. Activities were designed to help councils better manage the rangeland environment. In Negele, the approach was a collaborative process of sharing both traditional and meteorological forecasts with community members. This facilitated conversation about those forecasts and helped shape possible adaptation strategies such as planting crops for early harvesting. And in the village of Darara, small Social Analysis and Action (SAA) groups were set up. They engaged in regular dialogues to address how social and behavioral conditions perpetuate developmental challenges. The report includes a discussion on integrated activities that have been carried out as part of PRIME. These include helping to establish village savings and loan associations and loans for livestock traders. (ClimateLinks.org)