Gergera Watershed: Where floods are controlled and gullies reclaimed

The floods were taking away more and more farmland. Not just crops—even houses were being swept away

When we arrived at her home in the Gergera watershed of Ethiopia’s Tigray region, Lemlem Kahsay greeted us with a warm smile and a steaming injera, a flat, spongy bread laid on a traditional tray made of palm tree leaves. With a heart-warming motherly smile, she apologized for not serving the injera with stew, explaining she’d been too busy that morning. My colleague Bereket and I tore off a piece of the steaming hot, crispy injera—just off the mitad, a flat circular baking clay pan. The smell alone was enough to stir the appetite. Her hospitality spoke volumes. 

Lemlem lives on the outskirts of Haiki Messhal, a small town in Tsirae Womberta District. Like many others, she was displaced by flooding and relocated after her home near the riverbanks became unsafe a few years ago. “The floods were taking away more and more farmland. Not just crops—even houses were being swept away,” Lemlem recalled.“We used to live near the bank of the river and were affected by floods. The local administration gave us this land after seeing the situation we were in.”

Approximately 150 farming families have lost all or part of their farmland to flooding in the area. Lemlem, known for her dedication and openness to new practices, received support through an Irish Aid-funded project. Before the Tigray conflict in 2020, she was provided with a concrete rooftop water harvesting tank and fruit trees.

In 2025, with the launch of a new phase titled “Integrated Climate Smart Livelihoods Improvement Program in Tigray (ICSLIP)”, support resumed through a multi-partner consortium.

In April 2025, Lemlem received improved grafted avocado seedlings from the Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF). Her homestead already featured flourishing guava trees, the fruits of which her family enjoys eating while selling the surplus at local markets. A few young apple trees in her front yard—though not yet bearing fruit—stand as clear evidence of the care she devotes to her trees. Her backyard agroforestry system is thriving.

“Just like we women nourish our hair with butter, plants also need care and watering,” Lemlem said, smiling. She was especially thrilled to receive the grafted avocado and coffee seedlings through the project. She eagerly asked for more—promising to take good care of them just as attentively as she does the ones already thriving in her backyard. Inspired by the positive results of her homestead agroforestry, she now plans to double the size of her planting efforts. 

Lemlem appreciates the ongoing support for the maintenance of the roof water harvesting tank, the fruit, coffee and fodder trees. Photo by Eyob Getahun / CIFOR-ICRAF

Not far from Lemlem’s house, another farmer victim of the recurrent floods, Awotash Teka, shared a similar story. “My stone house and all my farmland were washed away. We had to rent homes. People even lost their lives to the floods,” Awotash said. Now she lives on land given to her by local authorities and has rebuilt a home.

Tackling floods through community-led watershed restoration

Today, the floods are no longer as devastating as they once were. Over the years, a range of coordinated watershed restoration measures have helped transform the surrounding landscape and decrease the impact of floods. In partnership with local and regional governments, steep hills and degraded slopes were enclosed by the project and were allowed to regenerate with trees and native vegetation, surrounding the Gergera watershed. This greenery helps retain rainfall, boost groundwater levels and slow runoff during storms. Soil conservation structures—including hillside terraces, check dams, and gully plugs—have further reduced the speed and intensity of floods. 

Supported by Irish Aid, some 2,000 metres of gabion retention walls were built along vulnerable riverbanks by mid-2020.  These structures have helped stabilize soil, protect farmland and reduce erosion. During heavy rains, the walls trap sediment and spread out floodwaters, turning danger zones into productive areas. In several spots, farmers cut and filled adjacent land behind the walls, planting grass and shrubs for fodder and erosion control.

Awotash Teka by gabion mesh wire, prepared to maintain the already constructed retention walls and to construct new ones. Photo by Eyob Getahun / CIFOR-ICRAF

“The gabion walls made a big difference,” Awotash said. “Once the gabion retaining walls were in place, erosion significantly decreased and the water stayed in the river course. Our farmland was saved and we now have more irrigation water. The gabion check dams on the mountain also slow down the floods, allowing the water to percolate into the ground for our use. ”

The soil from the adjacent land was excavated and used to fill in behind the retention walls at certain spots. New productive areas were thus created behind the walls, on which fodder grass and shrubs were planted to be used as animal fodder and at the same time to reduce any soil erosion. Due to the efforts made by the project in collaboration with the community, Awotash was able to reclaim her lost land and have her old house reconstructed. 

In August 2014, Irish Aid launched a project titled “Enhancing Integrated Watershed Management with Climate Smart Agriculture and Natural Resource Management Practices in Gergera Watershed” in partnership with CIFOR-ICRAF. Since then, the project has been benefiting the population in Gergera for almost a decade. Between 2016 and 2018, it was estimated that 36 hectares of farmland would have been lost to floods and transformed into large and small gullies if gabion walls and check dams had not been constructed in Gergera and downstream areas. 

The project implementation modalities were capitalizing and supporting past achievements and ongoing community-based efforts; employing participatory, co-learning and inclusive planning and learning principles and organizing and facilitating platforms. The gabion-based check dams and retention walls constructed so far including with the new and ongoing “Integrated Climate Smart Livelihood Improvement Program in Tigray” had been thought something impossible to do by the district and the region. The walls created new productive land and over 45 ha of productive irrigable farmland was saved from further damage by the floods, which would have been eroded and lost in 2-5 years. Over 96 farmers, including Awotash, have managed to regain part of their lost farmland and have been able to grow vegetables and animal feed throughout the year.

A check dam covered with grass was constructed upstream, protecting the forest. Photo by Eyob Getahun / CIFOR-ICRAF

A gabion retention wall was constructed downstream in the Gergera watershed. Photo by Eyob Getahun / CIFOR-ICRAF

Country director of CIFOR-ICRAF Ethiopia, Niguse Hagazi, said the Irish-Aid supported project is maintaining and strengthening the old gabion walls at different places in the Gergera watershed. And some more new gabion walls are being erected along the banks of the stream, which are highly affected by floods during the rainy season.

Lemlem and Awotash’s experiences echo those of many across the Gergera watershed—stories marked by loss but also by resilience and renewal. What began as individual support for displaced farmers has grown into a coordinated effort to restore degraded land, safeguard livelihoods and reduce the impacts of flooding.

> How did a few hills, some gabion walls and a lot of local effort change the flood story in Tigray? Read Part 2 to find out.

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