Review and interviews identify locally led adaptation practices and barriers in Ethiopia’s lowlands

A research article combining an oriented literature review with qualitative interviews identifies commonly used locally led adaptation practices, institutional conditions and implementation barriers in four lowland areas of Ethiopia: Afar, Borana, Somali and South Omo. The study does not measure whether the practices improved drought resilience; it examines how practitioners understood adaptation and the support required to sustain it.

The study, summarized in the article abstract, reviewed policy and scientific literature published mainly from 2016 to 2026 and analyzed 38 online key-informant interviews. Interview findings were organized around four dimensions: governance and institutions, financing, knowledge and learning, and equity. The review was not an efficacy assessment, while the interview analysis captured respondents’ perceptions of adaptation practices, institutional support and barriers.

Respondents identified livelihood diversification combined with drought-resistant fodder or crop options as the most frequently used adaptation combinations. Capital-intensive or governance-dependent measures, including establishing solar water systems and restoring degraded grazing land, were reportedly used less often. Respondents associated successful adaptation with effective government, efficient cooperation among nongovernmental organizations, appropriate technical support and strong local ownership. Nature-based solutions and hybrid portfolios were considered by some practitioners to be more sustainable and effective than traditional infrastructure, although respondents disagreed about the importance of financial devolution. Coordination problems in scaling up adaptation were also reported.

The main obstacles identified in the abstract were financial constraints, weak technical capabilities and the absence of robust operation and maintenance systems for water and energy facilities. The authors recommend reinforcing local financing windows, improving operation and maintenance and integrating adaptive learning and inclusion safeguards into Ethiopia’s Climate Resilient Green Economy and National Adaptation Plan frameworks. These suggestions are policy proposals rather than evidence of program effectiveness. The authors also caution that the findings rely on practitioners’ subjective perceptions rather than longitudinal field measurements, so they may represent best practice but cannot establish that any adaptation measure caused better drought outcomes. The published version is an accepted, open-access article subject to further edits, and this report is based on the available abstract rather than an assessment of the full study.

Subject of Research: Practitioner perspectives on locally led climate adaptation in four lowland areas of Ethiopia

Article Title: Effective locally led adaptation for pastoral and agropastoral resilience in the lowlands of Ethiopia

Article References: Maru, H., Fantaye, D., & Issa, A. (2026). Effective locally led adaptation for pastoral and agropastoral resilience in the lowlands of Ethiopia. Discover Sustainability. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43621-026-05010-x

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1007/s43621-026-05010-x

Keywords: Ethiopia, pastoral communities, agropastoral resilience, locally led adaptation, drought adaptation, qualitative interviews, literature review, nature-based solutions, climate policy, Effective, locally, adaptation