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Great Green Wall
Great Green Wall
Gewocha Forest,
Ethiopia
Community-led restoration of native remnant forest in Amhara
0 ha

under restoration

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trees growing

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species regenerating

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communities involved

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families directly benefiting

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In the Gewocha Forest and its surrounding communities, a lack of proper farm and grazing land management means soil is degrading and land is becoming unproductive.

Our project will re-establish the structure, species diversity and density of the highly degraded 7932 ha forest, and rehabilitate 1143 ha of degraded open communal land. We will also support a community resilience strategy by introducing agroforestry practices on 925 ha of smallholder farmland with around 7900 households.

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Why and how we’re working here

Farmers in the buffer zone are encroaching into the forest to compensate for their losses from crop yields and shortages of animal feed. Trees are cut for fuel and construction wood, and charcoal is produced as a source of income.

This forest that supports 14 rural kebeles (villages) will be lost without protection and restoration.
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Latest project updates
Latest project updates

Location

Jabi-Tehnan (West Gojjam), Amhara

Restoration approaches

Direct planting, Assisted Natural Regeneration, conservation, agroforestry

restoration partners

The Hunger Project

Species

Include Ficus vasta, Cordia africana, Albizia gummefera, Ficus sur, Syzigium guineense

Participants

7894 farmers and their families in 14 communities

The project’s impact on people

Half of the inhabitants of the Jabi-Tehnan region live below the poverty line, and 43% are chronically malnourished, with women and children most affected. Poverty in this region is further exacerbated by landlessness and youth unemployment. Moreover, women remain marginalised and are often excluded from participation in decision-making and in the economy.
This landscape is characterized by large gullies through which fertile soil is being washed away. © WeForest
The project takes a two-pronged approach: community forest restoration on the one hand, and establishing agroforestry on smallholder farms on the other. © WeForest
Nearly 5000 households have been engaged in the programme and benefit from the livelihoods activities: producing fruit and timber, apiculture, brick production, cooking stoves and fodder production. © WeForest
Agroforestry produces fruits (such as avocado and apple) and leaves (Rhamnus) that can be harvested year-round. The income diversification can provide a “safety net” when facing setbacks such as illness or drought. © WeForest
Women and youth are the most vulnerable groups here. Whenever possible, project activities are designed to ensure they benefit. In our nurseries, for example, 30% of the employees are women. © WeForest
Feedback from the families engaged in the project has shown a variety of positive outcomes, such as being able to support children to go to university. Older community members also see a great impact; unable to work or travel far, they can earn money from the trees in their yards. © WeForest
Many restored sites from 2017, when the project began, have shown remarkable improvement. Gullies have been rehabilitated, soil erosion has reduced, grass cover has improved, and springs are forming, becoming water sources for local people. © WeForest
Soil and water conservation activities – like check dam construction – reduce water runoff and soil erosion. © WeForest
You can see the improvement in water quality in the right-hand image, which was taken 75 metres downstream from the left-hand one after passing through a site where restoration started in 2017. The growing trees have slowed down the heavy rain, helping it to soak gently into the ground without causing soil erosion. © WeForest
On the left is an area protected and restored in 2017. Inspired by this, the community decided to restore the area on the right, starting in 2021. © WeForest

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Who’s funding the Gewocha Forest project?
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See more updates
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