This publication, of the Challenge Program for Water and Food (CPWF), supports global efforts of the international community to increase the productivity of water use in agriculture, for reducing poverty, promoting economic growth and environmental sustainability through improved management of water resources.
The Blue Nile (Abbay) is the major tributary of the Nile, contributing about 60% of Nile flow, and is home to millions of poor people. Nevertheless, natural resources are rapidly degrading due to poor land and water management. Knowledge related to water and land management, the linkage of livelihood and ecosystem services to water and land and governance mechanisms are limited and insufficient.
The primary objective of the Upstream-Downstream Blue Nile project was to increase understanding of land and water to enhance food security and improve the sustainability of livelihoods of poor rural people in the Ethiopian highlands of the Blue Nile through better management and use of water and land, with minimal negative downstream impacts within Ethiopia and across international borders in Sudan. The study was designed to make a contribution in designing action programs for improving livelihoods of poor communities in upstream while minimizing downstream impacts, to generate knowledge on upstream-downstream interaction, to enhance the effectiveness of interventions, and to increase agricultural water productivity while minimizing degradation.