African Highlands Initiative (AHI)
Contact: Laura German, l.german[at]cgiar.org

• National Hosts: Ethiopian Agricultural Research Organization; Southern Region Agricultural Research Institute (Ethiopia); National Agricultural Research Organization (Uganda).
• Areka Site, Ethiopia: Areka Agricultural Research Centre; Areka Office of Agriculture; Gununo, Denbezamine, Chew K'are and Doge Hanchicho Peasant Associations; Magistrate Court and leaders of Gununo and Denbezamine Peasant Associations;
• Ginchi Site, Ethiopia: Holetta Agricultural Research Centre; Dendi Woreda Department of Agriculture and Rural Development; Dendi Woreda and Ambo Zone Water Resource Department; Dendi Woreda Health Department; Dendi Woreda Magistrate Court; Farm Africa.
• Kapchorwa Site, Uganda: Kapchorwa District Landcare Chapter; Uganda Wildlife Authority; Action Aid - Uganda; Local Government (LC5); the Benet Lobby Group; Local government departments of production; Parish Environment Committees; Tuban Organic Farmers Association (Tuban parish) and Tuikat Watershed Association;
• Kabale Site, Uganda: Community-based NRM facilitators; local government (LC1 to LC5); NAADS structures; NRM Protection Committees; local government departments of production.

To enhance livelihoods and the equitable distribution of benefits for the poor, women, and other local stakeholders in eastern African highlands through collective action, equitable NRM, grass-roots policy support, and widespread sharing of findings and approaches.

A series of 4 main methodologies was used: (i) Situation analysis (wealth ranking and wealth-disaggregated household interviews to identify levels of the 5 capital assets; focus group discussions to understand the role of local and external institutions in fostering changes in household assets); (ii) stakeholder workshops at site and national level to share findings and agree on priority areas for action research intervention; (iii) participatory action research on prioritized themes; and (iv) impact assessments by action research theme.

Papers:

• The Many Meanings of Collective Action: Lessons on Enhancing Gender Inclusion and Equity in Watershed Management
  Laura German, Hailemichael Taye, Sarah Charamila, Tesema Tolera, and Joseph Tanui. CAPRi Working Paper 52. Washington DC: IFPRI. 2006.
  Abstract  |  Full Text
• Enabling negotiation and conflict resolution for area wide planning: The case of collective action for watershed management
  Joseph Tanui, Awadh Chemangei & Alfred Akiti. Paper presented at the Africa-wide Research Workshop on Bylaws held in Kenya, November 2006.
• Managing Trade-Offs of Natural Resource Governance in the Eastern African Highlands
  Laura German, Sarah Charamila, Hailemichael Taye, Waga Mazengia, S. Ayele and Tesema Tolera. Paper presented at the Africa-wide Research Workshop on Bylaws held in Kenya, November 2006.
• Enhancing Improved Seed Dissemination through Local Bylaws in Gununo Watershed, Southern Ethiopia
  Waga Mazengia, Laura German, Ashenafi Mekonen and Kassaun Abere. Paper presented at the Africa-wide Research Workshop on Bylaws held in Kenya, November 2006.

Briefs:

• Negotiation Support in Watershed Management: A Case for Decision-Making beyond the Farm Level. Laura German, Sarah Charamila and Tesema Tolera. AHI Brief E2, 2005.
• Mobilizing Collective Action for Vertebrate Pest Control: The Case of Porcupine in Areka. Leulseged Begashaw, Waga Mazengia and Laura German. AHI Brief E3, 2007.
• Enhancing Equitable Technology Access for Socially and Economically Constrained Farmers: Experience from Gununo Watershed, Ethiopia. Waga Mazengia, Anbes Tenaye, Leulseged Begashaw, Laura German and Yeyes Rezene. AHI Brief E4, 2007.
• Enhancing Collective Action in Spring 'Development' and Management through Negotiation Support and By-Law Reforms. Shenkut Ayele, Amare Ghizaw, Zenebe Admassu, Mesfin Tsegaye, Getachew Alemu, Tessema Tolera and Laura German. AHI Brief E5, 2007.
• Soil and Water Conservation through Attitude Change and Negotiation. Zenebe Admassu, Shenkut Ayele, Amare Ghizaw, Mesfin Tsegaye and Laura German. AHI Brief A6, 2007.
• Searching for Solutions: Technology-Policy Synergies in Participatory NRM. Laura German, Wilberforce Tirwomwe, Joseph Tanui, Simon Nyangas and Awadh Chemangei. AHI Brief B6, 2007.
• Co-Management of Protected Areas is About Cultivating Relationships. Joseph Tanui, Simon Nyangas, Awadh Chemangei, Francis Alinyo and Laura German. AHI Brief B7, 2007.