Agro-ecology
This is a program that works towards thriving living soil, promoting agricultural biodiversity, strengthening farmer innovation, knowledge development and sharing and ensuring food sovereignty that feeds in to higher levels of nutrition security.
These will be attained through appropriate biological and physical soil and water conservation methods, supply of eco-friendly agricultural inputs (such as organic fertilizers), technologies and energy sources as well as improved agricultural practices and local seed conservation methods. It is also based on the knowledge of local communities and introduce techniques where what is taken from the soil is returned back. MELCA has successful experiences in this regard and wants to utilize its accumulated wealth of experience and expertise in this field.
Environmental Governance
This is a program that works on registering and improving the governance of Man and Biosphere Reserves and Community Conserved Areas. It also works on supporting the revival of traditional ecological governance systems as well as Awareness and capacity building on environmental laws and policies.
MELCA-Ethiopia strongly believes that strengthening environmental governance is necessary to maintain the biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. We need to empower local communities, local governments and stakeholders to properly manage biosphere reserves and community conserved areas. We need to contribute to the coordination of efforts of stakeholders working on biospheres, we need to widespread the concepts and ideas of biosphere reserves in and out of school environment and bring in place sustainable strategies and systems on how the local communities can benefit from the biosphere reserves (i.e. non-timber forest products), and support communities to have bylaws that protect and properly utilize biosphere reserves and community conserved areas.
Eco-friendly Livelihoods Improvement
This program works to improve the life of disadvantaged local communities through provision of alternative livelihood options but in a way that does not harm both the culture and the environment. Livelihoods improvement schemes are meant to minimize the economic need driven pressure on the limited forest coverage and diversify income in the project areas. As such, alternative means of livelihood have been created for disadvantaged/unemployed segment of the communities, with a particular focus on women youth and minority groups, cutting across programs that can be used as tools for the achievement of the overall objectives of each of the major thematic areas.
Improvement of livelihoods will be realized through selecting and organizing the disadvantaged community members into cooperatives/ associations, practical farm management trainings, use of eco-friendly agricultural inputs and technologies, improved agricultural practices and engaging them in off-farm and non-farm alternative income generating activities such as animal fattening, beekeeping, collecting wild spices, home gardening and poultry.
Child and Youth
Empowerment
The program aims to create children and youth who are rooted in their sustainable cultural practices but contribute positively to their environment. They will be facilitated to connect with nature, culture and themselves and to get quality education.
Children and youth empowerment has close relationship with our previous SEGNI program is designed to create proactive youth movement for conservation of nature and the culture of local communities. It is a way for transferring Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) from elders to the young generation. Being well equipped with the knowledge of the value of conserving the natural resources and related cultural values of their communities, the youth would always stand up to say “NO” to any threat to the culture and natural resources of their communities. SEGNI has been one of the best learning experiences for Education for Sustainable Development, selected and recognized as such by UNESCO in 2011.