ABSTRACT
The Ethiopian Highlands are a land degradation hotspot. The burgeoning human population has led to expansion of arable land to meet growing food demands. Much of this expansion is on steep and marginal land covered with fragile soils. The result has been extensive soil loss, sedimentation of water-courses and general land degradation that has affected production and productivity of smallholder farmers. The International Water Management Institute (IWMI), the International Potato Center (CIP) and the World Agroforestry Center (ICRAF), joined the IPs to continue supporting the platform members to address the main crop production and market problems, develop the livestock feed market and to continue working on natural resource management. They have proved to be effective in eliciting the kind of collective action at community and cross-sectoral level that is needed to positively stimulate sustainable intensification.
