Towards effective environmental education in Ethiopia: problems and prospects in responding to the environment - poverty challenge

Whether talking to local farmers or studying academic papers there is general agreement that environmental degradation is impacting upon agricultural productivity in Ethiopia. In a country, where around 90% of the population are dependent on agriculture for subsistence requirements and a similar fraction of the country's export income is generated from the agriculture sector, environmental degradation with subsequent decline in agricultural productivity has serious repercussions on household and national economies alike. This paper argues that given the intimate relationship between environmental degradation and poverty, environmental education has an important role to play in any poverty alleviation strategy. The paper explores the history of environmental education in Ethiopia and concludes that the formal sector, which has thus far formed the main point of delivery, is not well suited to delivering a meaningful programme that can elicit progress towards more sustainable land-use practices. The authors argue that non formal and participatory programme delivered through existing local organizations can have a 'wider broadcast', a more immediate impact and are better able to absorb and utilize local knowledge. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.