Keys to Prosperity: Less Photo Ops and Charity, Ethiopians Need Empowerment and Agency
Posted: 27 Jul 2019, 10:57
“Green Legacy” is a major initiative being promoted by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and the Ethiopian government. Aiming to reverse an alarming rate of deforestation that is taking place throughout Ethiopia, Ahmed is aggressively pushing a goal of planting 4 billion trees within Ethiopia by encouraging every Ethiopian to plant 40 trees. Beyond addressing an escalating ecological crisis, Ahmed hopes to break the mark set by India by planting 200 million trees in one day.
Though this is a commendable start and a good way of galvanizing the broader public to partake in a national cause, when it comes to tackling the root causes of deforestation, Green Legacy misses the mark. The issue in Ethiopia is not the lack of new trees but the rate of agricultural attrition. Mismanagement, lack of planning and economic disparities between the haves and the have nots all play a part in the ongoing destruction of Ethiopia’s trees, rivers and natural resources as a whole.
When people lose agency and they don’t have a sense of ownership, they naturally become indifferent to the upkeep and wellness of their environment. Consider what happens to rental cars versus automobiles that are owned. Renters have almost zero vested interest in taking care of the cars they are leasing, they view their property as a commodity and...continued...
Read full article at: https://ethiopians4cm.org/keys-prosperi ... nt-agency/
Though this is a commendable start and a good way of galvanizing the broader public to partake in a national cause, when it comes to tackling the root causes of deforestation, Green Legacy misses the mark. The issue in Ethiopia is not the lack of new trees but the rate of agricultural attrition. Mismanagement, lack of planning and economic disparities between the haves and the have nots all play a part in the ongoing destruction of Ethiopia’s trees, rivers and natural resources as a whole.
When people lose agency and they don’t have a sense of ownership, they naturally become indifferent to the upkeep and wellness of their environment. Consider what happens to rental cars versus automobiles that are owned. Renters have almost zero vested interest in taking care of the cars they are leasing, they view their property as a commodity and...continued...
Read full article at: https://ethiopians4cm.org/keys-prosperi ... nt-agency/