Utah State’s Outreach Team Lauded by Ethiopia’s Oromia State Government
A Utah State University outreach team devoted to problem solving using a novel combination of capacity building and applied research was recently honored by the Oromia State Government, Ethiopia’s largest regional state, for “providing outstanding service to pastoral people.”
Team members Solomon Desta and Getachew Gebru, both postdoctoral students at Utah State, and Seyoum Tezera; all Ethiopian nationals, were recognized during a national day held to honor the culture and illuminate the struggles of some 10 million Ethiopians who reside in the desolate rangeland areas of the country. Most are pastoralists whose survival depends on herding livestock.
Layne Coppock, associate professor in Utah State’s College of Natural Resources’ environment and society department, oversees the project, known as Pastoral Risk Management (PARIMA), which has operated under federal funding since 1997. The PARIMA project involves five universities in the United States and Kenya, as well as an extensive African network of partnerships.
PARIMA’s major focus is helping pastoralists develop alternate sources of income that complement those from livestock so they can better endure crises, said Coppock. While news images suggest that drought is the main problem, he said, drought is only one factor when combined with high populations living in poverty-stricken areas.
“Rural areas across Ethiopia receive billions of dollars in international food aid assistance,” said Coppock. “The challenge is to find ways to break the cycle.”
Coppock said PARIMA outreach efforts received special recognition because the community-led approaches pioneered by the team have been remarkably effective over a short period of time. “A key element of project success has been promoting peer-to-peer outreach by bringing various groups together across the troubled border between Kenya and Ethiopia.”
For example, Coppock said entrepreneurial women from northern Kenya have been vital catalysts in helping Ethiopian women’s groups form and mobilize themselves into effective self-help organizations. “The Ethiopian women’s groups have generated their own capital to start small-business opportunities and this has also helped reinvigorate social networks,” he said.
Coppock said PARIMA has enabled project participants to share non-formal education with pastoral groups and efforts are underway to better connect livestock producers with viable markets, both domestically and in the Middle East. “The PARIMA project has helped bring focus and energy to a difficult and long-term process.”
He added that a recent estimate indicates that the approach introduced by PARIMA has benefited more than 11,000 rural households in less than four years, thanks in part to parallel efforts by project partners from governmental and non-governmental institutions.
Coppock also credits Utah State’s Vice President for Research office for PARIMA’s success. “The PARIMA project has benefited from many years of helpful contributions from the administration at Utah State University,” he said. “A variety of inputs here (in Logan) have translated into measurable success on the ground, very far away.”
PARIMA was featured in the article, “A Voice for the Voiceless,” in the Spring 2003 issue of Utah State magazine.
Writer: Mary-Ann Muffoletto, 435-797-1429; maryann.muffoletto@usu.edu
Contact: Layne Coppock, 435-797-1262; lcoppock@cc.usu.eduComments and questions regarding this article may be directed to the contact person listed on this page.