Field mission to Omo-Ghibe Living Landscapes of Multifunctional Science Program (MFL SP) in Ethiopia

The first field mission and scoping exercise conducted on April 29, 2026, in the Omo-Ghibe Living Landscape provided valuable first hand understanding of the environmental, livelihood, and institutional dynamics of the landscape. The mission covered key sites in Kindo Koisha and Kindo Didaye districts and included consultations with local communities, district officials, development partners, fishermen groups, and Gibe III dam operators. The mission aimed to identify major landscape challenges, assess ongoing interventions, and explore opportunities for integrated landscape restoration and sustainable livelihood development. The field observations confirmed that the landscape is experiencing serious environmental challenges, including land degradation, soil erosion, landslides, watershed degradation, sedimentation, climate variability, and pressure on forest and aquatic resources. These challenges are negatively affecting agricultural productivity, fisheries, hydropower sustainability, and community livelihoods. Discussions with local communities also highlighted increasing vulnerability to floods, droughts, and slope instability, combined with limited access to infrastructure, markets, and early warning systems. At the same time, the mission identified strong opportunities for transformative interventions through integrated watershed management, restoration investments, climate-smart agriculture, sustainable fisheries management, carbon financing mechanisms, and community-based natural resource governance. Experiences shared by World Vision on restoration-linked carbon financing demonstrated the potential for combining ecosystem restoration with livelihood improvement and climate resilience. The mission also emphasized the strategic importance of the Omo-Ghibe watershed for national hydropower generation and the need for stronger coordination between landscape management and infrastructure protection. Overall, the field mission reinforced the relevance of the CGIAR Multifunctional Landscapes Science Program (MFL-SP) in promoting integrated, science-based, and participatory approaches to landscape restoration, livelihood improvement, and climate resilience in the Omo-Ghibe Living Landscape.