Koraro - Millennium Villages Project

The Koraro Millennium Villages cluster is located in the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia, a semi-arid area with a short rainy season that lasts from the end of June to the beginning of September. The Koraro cluster represents the highland mixed agro-ecological zone, and subsistence farmers rely on maize, sorghum, teff and millet as staple crops. Before the Millennium Villages Project, the cluster’s extremely remote location contributed to the area’s lack of infrastructure development, poor access to health services and shortage of income-generating opportunities. Despite these challenges, Koraro has made substantial progress since the start of the project, and is gaining the momentum it needs to escape the poverty trap.

Ethiopia is about 1.1 million sq km in size (slightly less than twice the size of Texas) and has a population of more than 85 million people. The median age is about 17 years and average life expectancy is about 55 years. Addis Ababa is the capital of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. The President is Girma Wolde-Giorgis and the Prime Minister is Meles Zenawi.

At its inception, the Koraro Millennium Village project faced many development challenges ranging from lack of infrastructure such as roads, electricity, health clinics and schools to low agricultural productivity resulting from arid and unproductive land. After an initial assessment, the team focused on food security and on agricultural productivity through inputs such as fertilizers and improved seeds. The progress in agriculture over the past four and half years has been encouraging and the wellbeing of the population has improved as a result.

Due to heavy dependence on rain fed agriculture in Koraro Millennium Villages, the major focus of the project shifted to promoting small scale irrigation using hand dug wells, embankment storage dams, pot irrigation and spate diversions and to promoting high-value crops such as vegetables, fruits and spices. Irrigable land has increased in the villages, resulting in a shift of farming practices from cereal based farming to high-value crops.

The project has also quickly responded to curbing diseases through improved health services. Malaria, differential diagnosis, TB and HIV/AIDS have declined significantly through various integrated programs. Lack of potable water was another serious health-related problem in the villages. Today, potable water reaches over 80% of the villages. The focus now is on improving potable water in public institutions such as schools, FTCs. health posts and farmer training centers.