{"id":10052,"date":"2026-01-26T16:24:51","date_gmt":"2026-01-26T16:24:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cordaid.org\/en\/?p=10052"},"modified":"2026-02-12T10:53:54","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T10:53:54","slug":"i-will-never-migrate-again-how-climate-smart-agriculture-is-transforming-ethiopias-argoba-district","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cordaid.org\/en\/news\/i-will-never-migrate-again-how-climate-smart-agriculture-is-transforming-ethiopias-argoba-district\/","title":{"rendered":"‘I Will Never Migrate Again’: How Climate-Smart Agriculture is Transforming Ethiopia\u2019s Argoba District"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Years of recurring drought, degraded soils, and harsh terrain made farming in Ethiopia\u2019s Argoba District increasingly unreliable. Conflict further disrupted markets and livelihoods, leaving migration as the only option for many young people. Cordaid Ethiopia\u2019s Food Security and Resilience Building project is offering a viable alternative.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Farmers in Argoba are using irrigation pipes to water their crops and fruit trees. Thanks to Cordaid Ethiopia’s intervention, the farmlands in this arid, drought-prone region are becoming lush and productive. Photograph: Mickael Franci\/Cordaid<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The journeys were long and dangerous. Saudi Arabia, Djibouti and other destinations promised work, but the reality was often brutal. Many travelled on foot across deserts and frontlines of conflict-affected areas in Ethiopia and Yemen, putting their lives in great danger before ever even reaching a border.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mohammed Endris, now 33, still lowers his voice when he talks about his experiences. \u2018We walked for an entire month to reach Saudi Arabia,\u2019 he says quietly. \u2018When we arrived at the border, the guards opened fire. Some of my friends were killed.\u2019 Those who did manage to cross found little relief either. \u2018The police chased us constantly. We were not treated like human beings.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alone in the Desert<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Others share similar experiences. Jamal Ahmed Ali, also 33 years old, spent three years living and working illegally in Saudi Arabia. \u2018We were completely alone in the desert,\u2019 he recalls. \u2018If you became ill, no one helped you. If you went into the city, the police arrested you. I would never advise anyone to migrate.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Jamal Ahmed Ali. Photograph: Mickael Franci\/Cordaid<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Back home, families waited in uncertainty. Ahmed Hassan, a farmer and father of nine, watched his son leave to seek work. \u2018Being separated from your family is very painful,\u2019 he says. His son Mohammed remembers months of hunger and homelessness. \u2018I suffered greatly,\u2019 he says. \u2018I was starving and facing so many problems.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Women also left. Zahara Dawud (35) migrated to Djibouti to work as a housemaid. \u2018The hardest part was the journey,\u2019 she says. \u2018We travelled for many days without water or transport.\u2019 Although she eventually found a supportive employer, the experience left a lasting mark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ahmed Hassan (48), his daughter, Aminate Ahmed (15) and his son, Mohammed Ahmed (24. ‘When Cordaid came to our community, job opportunities began to grow. I told my son, who had migrated, that he could come back home. When he returned, we celebrated. We were all very happy to be together again. It is a good thing to work on your own land.’ Photograph: Mickael Franci\/Cordaid<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A Familiar Figure<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In Medina, the largest town in Argoba District, Teklebirhan Hailu Beyene walks through the main street, greeting everyone he sees by name. Although he lives 400 kilometres away, in the capital, Addis Ababa, the project coordinator often visits the programme locations in Argoba and has built trust by listening closely to the needs of the predominantly Islamic community in the northern Amhara region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Drought, conflict, animal diseases and natural resource degradation are major hazards here,\u2019 he explains. \u2018People have been struggling to survive in this rugged landscape, which is why so many young people migrated.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Teklebirhan Hailu Beyene, Project Coordinator for Cordaid Ethiopia. Photograph: Mickael Franci\/Cordaid<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Cordaid\u2019s response began with a practical observation. The community had land, labour and fertile soil, but little access to water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Irrigation was one of the key components of our intervention,\u2019 says Teklebirhan. By diverting water from rivers and streams, using high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipes, water can be brought directly to homesteads and farmland through a gravity-fed system, without fuel, high operating costs, or complex maintenance. This system minimises water loss and is well-suited to remote, rural, or off-grid locations, ensuring a consistent water supply for farming and households.

The effect was immediate. Fields that once produced a single harvest per year could now be cultivated two or even three times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Watch this documentary about the Food Security and Resilience Building project in Argoba:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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