ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:
In Ethiopia, millions of people are suffering from malnutrition after repeated droughts and flash floods in recent years, according to the U.N.'s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. But in parts of the country south, where malnutrition rates are especially high after persistent drought, some communities are learning new ways to adapt and cope, as Willem Marx reports.
WILLEM MARX, BYLINE: It's early morning in the village of Higlo...
(SOUNDBITE OF COW MOOING)
MARX: ...As Hassan Hussein Omar helps his herd of cattle search for food that's often hard to find.
(SOUNDBITE OF WATER SPLASHING)
MARX: A new pond nearby, funded by international aid agencies, saves him a five-mile trek to the nearest river for water, but it cannot irrigate the ground and grow the grass his animals need.
HASSAN HUSSEIN OMAR: (Whistling).
MARX: Like generations of herders before him in the dry Somali region of Southern Ethiopia, his livestock are his livelihood. But climate change now threatens this traditional way of life. Green fields were few and far between during the past four years of deadly drought.
OMAR: (Non-English language spoken).
MARX: "The critical shortage of grass and water for the livestock led to their unfortunate death due to hunger and diseases," Hassan says. "As a consequence, my community's faced substantial hardships and challenges directly due to the drought." Across the Horn of Africa, tens of thousands of people perished in recent years because of low rainfall.
(SOUNDBITE OF WIND BLOWING)
MARX: But in Ethiopia's Somali region, it was the death of some 2 million animals that made life so difficult for those that survived.
OMAR: (Non-English language spoken).
MARX: "When one of our cows gives birth, it becomes a source of sustenance for my children through the milk it produces," he says. "Losing an animal like that has direct implications. It means my children no longer have access to this source of nutrition." Overall, Hassan lost 15 of his 25 cows and almost all his goats and sheep. He's now open to changing his career. Ethnic Somalis in Southern Ethiopia strongly self-identify as herders, but climate change is pushing some to abandon their cattle for crops.
UNIDENTIFIED PEOPLE: (Singing in non-English language).
MARX: Mohammed Sufi Ali grew up herding but now sings in the fields with friends as he plants and prays his own new choices can work out.
MOHAMMED SUFI ALI: (Non-English language spoken).
MARX: "God gives us the gift of life," he says, "but our situation would have become dire if the droughts had continued and we'd not worked hard and innovated." In his village, Cilaan, a collective farming effort seeks to forever change the community's food sources in the face of less reliable rainfall. Maize and bananas grow behind a barrier that protects them from the desert but retains water from the nearby river pumped in by solar power. But even this system is far from failsafe amid floods that kill certain plants. Despite these difficulties, though, Mohammed's decision to diversify his food sources could be crucial if his own kids are to raise families here too.
ALI: (Non-English language spoken).
MARX: "I thank God for my life, which I think is better than my father's and grandfather's," he says. "Farming is less risky than rearing livestock. They could lose all of their animals in a single event, which would have left them in a terrible situation. But I can hold onto a farm if I work hard." People here say they want not only to guarantee more food for their families but also grow more fodder for their animals and generate more cash for their futures. And it's a solution that should work elsewhere in Ethiopia, says Elias Ebrahim of the U.N. World Food Programme.
ELIAS EBRAHIM: People are really in dilemma - I mean, how to change. You know, changing people's mindset is, like, I think the toughest work, and also, that really needs time.
MARX: The severity of the recent droughts meant many in this Somali region lost everything, and that's actually helped accelerate the transformation in people's thinking.
(SOUNDBITE OF SHOVEL SCRAPING)
MARX: On the other side of Higlo, a once-dusty patch of dirt is now filling up with plant life as community labor helps unlock the land's potential.
UNIDENTIFIED PEOPLE: (Singing in non-English language).
MARX: With cash from international donors, locals dug hundreds of small, hollow crescents to retain water. That, in turn, revitalizes the soil, making crops possible. Among those toiling in the heat is Halimu Hussein Farah, a mother of nine.
HALIMU HUSSEIN FARAH: (Non-English language spoken).
MARX: "Farming would have been impossible without the project," she says. "This area would have been a treeless desert, just like surrounding areas." Her family lost almost all its animals during the drought. Her children barely survived. But now she says she has some hope.
FARAH: (Non-English language spoken).
MARX: "Our people as a whole still face economic challenges," she told me. "But those lucky enough to benefit from this project, including me, have seen a substantial improvement in our living conditions."
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: (Singing in non-English language).
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: (Singing in non-English language).
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: (Singing in non-English language).
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: (Singing in non-English language).
UNIDENTIFIED PEOPLE: (Singing in non-English language).
MARX: The changing climate has challenged communities like this more than ever, but choosing to change their way of life in response should mean their landscape remains livable long into the future. For NPR News, I'm Willem Marx in Higlo, Ethiopia. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.