ABSTRACT
Ethiopia is one of the largest, most densely populated, and poorest nations of Africa, with a population of forty-two million people and annual per capita income below $150 per year. Ethiopia has three major, and numerous smaller, ethnic and language groups. The Shoa province of Ethiopia occupies the whole center of the country, surrounding Addis Ababa, the capital. Yifat na Timuga district is in the extreme northeast corner of the region, about 250 km from Addis Ababa, on the border of the region of Wollo. Compounding the problem of drought is the ongoing process of soil degradation and erosion. Much of the farmland in Ethiopia, including that of Yifat, has been farmed for centuries without fallowing or replenishing nutrients in the soil. There is little basic infrastructure in many rural communities in Yifat. Large numbers of people are completely isolated, lacking roads, electricity, or any means of communicating with government or other potential sources of assistance or information.
