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Programmes and projects
National and subnational level
At the national level, a number of programmes
and projects relating to mountain ecosystems and
sustainable community development have been
implemented. However, information on subnational
level programmes and projects is very limited. This is
largely because implementation is normally reflected
on the national investment programmes and budget
frameworks of respective countries. A number
of factors may explain this state of affairs. While
information and reports on projects may be available,
moreover in more detail than national reports on
respective districts, accessing this information
remains difficult because of a poor information
sharing mechanisms, which is hindered by budgetary
constraints and a lack of knowledge management
capacity. It is for this reason that subnational level
information in this report is limited and why the
proposed mountain agenda calls for improved
knowledge management systems.
The review presented below for projects and
programmes in East Africa is organized in four
thematic areas: catchment/watershed management,
sustainable
land
management,
biodiversity
conservation and climate change adaptation.
Catchment/watershed management
There are a few projects addressing problems at
the watershed or catchment level in the mountain
regions of East Africa. These include the River
Catchments
Rehabilitation
and
Alternative
Livelihood Development Project and the Koga
Irrigation and Watershed Management Project,
both in Ethiopia, which are aimed at improving
agricultural production in the catchment areas
of the Koga river valley. The project created 77 m³
of water reservoirs to irrigate 6,000 ha of land and
helped to increase crop yields and improve farmers’
capacity for developing irrigation enterprises.
In Kenya, the Mt Elgon Integrated Watershed
Management Programme was implemented with the
aim of improving livelihood conditions and building
resilience to the effects of climate change among
communities in the Mt Elgon water catchment areas.
The project increased awareness of climate change
issues and sustainable farming systems, and built
community capacity for managing natural resources,
water technologies and the protection of water
sources. Another project in Rwanda, the Bugesera
Agricultural Development Support Project, aimed to
irrigate 800 ha of land and train farming communities
on integrated watershed management techniques.
Despite these notable achievements, there remains
a lot to be done, particularly considering the high
level of environmental degradation and population
pressure in water catchment areas under changing
climatic conditions.
Sustainable development and land management
A number of projects have been implemented to
address issues of sustainable land management in
the mountain regions of East Africa. These include
the Sustainable Agricultural and Environmental
Rehabilitation of Drought Prone Ethiopian
Highlands; the Southern Region Agricultural
Support Service Project; and the Bale Eco-Region
Sustainable Management Programme aimed at
addressing deforestation in the Bale Mountains of
Ethiopia (UNEP, 2014).
Water tank, Kenya