Integrated water and land management research and capacity building priorities for Ethiopia: proceedings of a MoWR/EARO/IWMI/ILRI international workship held at ILRI, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 2-4 December 2002

The workshop emerged from a joint mission of the International Water Management
Institute (IWMI) and the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) to Ethiopia in February–March 2002, at the invitation and enthusiastic support of various Ethiopian government ministries and other institutions for developing long-term collaborative research and capacity building in integrated water and land resources management. The workshop brought together about 80 professionals, both researchers and
practitioners drawn from a wide range of institutions in Ethiopia, in addition to the
international participants. Twenty-five papers were presented and discussions conducted on land and water management research. Well-targeted and good quality research is essential to develop Ethiopia’s natural resources and to reduce poverty and promote development. A range of important research issues were identified, which will be useful for guiding future research projects in Ethiopia. These research issues need further prioritising. Carrying out the research will require co-operation among Ethiopian research institutions and partnerships with federal ministries and regional governments, and can be strengthened through partnerships with
international institutions. They can facilitate collaborative research among the countries sharing the Nile and other river basins, and exchange of experiences with other regions and basins.
The workshop made it clear that there is considerable research and development
capacity in Ethiopia. However, this capacity is fragmented among diverse institutions.
Integrated water and land management research must be interdisciplinary, including the social, physical and biological sciences. The human, institutional and financial resources for
carrying out research are well short of the level required to meet the needs of the country.