Livelihood-Based Watershed Management Taking to Scale for a Basinwide Impact

Watershed management interventions within micro-catchments are critical to a sustainable approach to water resources and related natural resources management at the local level. One approach for getting local level stakeholders actively involved in watershed management activites is to develop a “programme “of local level interventions in the form of small-scale demonstration projects, which, when taken to scale, represent real basinwide solutions to some of the key environmental and socio-economic challenges such as watershed degradation, widespread soil erosion, sediment transport, food insecurity, etc.

This project titled “Livelihood-Based Watershed Management – Taking to Scale for a Basinwide Impact project” is one of nine medium and long-term priority projects identified by the Eastern Nile states under the Integrated Water Resources Development and Management Plan for the Baro-Akobo-Sobat Sub-basin in the Eastern Nile region. The objective of the project is to ensure that livelihood-based watershed management interventions, which are often implemented at a small-scale, are taken to scale at basinwide level in order to contribute meaningfully at the basinwide scale in terms of socio-economic and environmental benefits. The project will support the identification of small-scale livelihood-based watershed management with an emphasis on the development of sustainable Multisectoral opportunities followed by the design and implementation of a programme to take the approach to scale. The microprojects, when taken to scale, represent real basinwide solutions to some of the key environmental and socio-economic challenges in the BAS Sub-Basin such as high levels of sediment transport, lack of food security etc. The project will also have a component for capacity building of institutions at national, state and payem levels in integrated water resources management and development.

The project identification was completed in 2017 with funding from the African Development Bank (AfDB) under the Baro-Akobo-Sobat multipurpose water resources development study project.

Watershed management interventions within micro-catchments are critical to a sustainable approach to water resources and related natural resources management at the local level. One approach for getting local level stakeholders actively involved in watershed management activites is to develop a “programme “of local level interventions in the form of small-scale demonstration projects, which, when taken to scale, represent real basinwide solutions to some of the key environmental and socio-economic challenges such as watershed degradation, widespread soil erosion, sediment transport, food insecurity, etc.

This project titled “Livelihood-Based Watershed Management – Taking to Scale for a Basinwide Impact project” is one of nine medium and long-term priority projects identified by the Eastern Nile states under the Integrated Water Resources Development and Management Plan for the Baro-Akobo-Sobat Sub-basin in the Eastern Nile region. The objective of the project is to ensure that livelihood-based watershed management interventions, which are often implemented at a small-scale, are taken to scale at basinwide level in order to contribute meaningfully at the basinwide scale in terms of socio-economic and environmental benefits. The project will support the identification of small-scale livelihood-based watershed management with an emphasis on the development of sustainable Multisectoral opportunities followed by the design and implementation of a programme to take the approach to scale. The microprojects, when taken to scale, represent real basinwide solutions to some of the key environmental and socio-economic challenges in the BAS Sub-Basin such as high levels of sediment transport, lack of food security etc. The project will also have a component for capacity building of institutions at national, state and payem levels in integrated water resources management and development.

The project identification was completed in 2017 with funding from the African Development Bank (AfDB) under the Baro-Akobo-Sobat multipurpose water resources development study project.