Lauren Neville Gisnås, Coordinator for DCG Norway, and Abiye Alemu Ayele, Coordinator for Ethiopia met with counsellor and Head of Development Cooperation at the embassy, Bente Nilson. - DCG's efforts of contributing to improved food security for vulnerable household and communities in the drylands complement and strengthen one of the Embassy's main sectors "Natural resource management, food security and environment”, Nilson said.
DCG activities are supported by Norad and its information work is funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Norwegian DCG members are Care Norway, Norwegian People’s Aid, Norwegian Church Aid, the Development Fund the Adventist Development and Relief Agency Norway (ADRA).
Capacity building through exchange.
The Dryland Coordination Group is a network of NGOs, government institutions, research centres (including universities) and other policy making institutions. These actors work towards building capacity through exchange of practical experience and appropriate knowledge on food security in the drylands of Africa. DCG does not function as an implementation organisation, but has a facilitation role through conducting action and policy related research and sharing knowledge with its members.
DCG works with the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) on national and international policy and is always a part of the Norwegian delegation at the UNCCD together with MFA, Norad and the Directorate for Nature Management (DIRNAT). DCG also works with Noragric, the Department for International Environment and Development Studies at the University of Life Sciences in Norway, who provides technical support.
DCG in Ethiopia
DCG currently operates in Ethiopia, Sudan and Mali, each country with its own office and coordinator. DCG has been working in Ethiopia since 2000 and has 19 member organizations in the country consisting of NGO research organizations, universities and the Ethiopian Federal Protection Authority.
Climate change is an important part of the DCG strategy. The research done is supposed to benefit farmers in the drylands by developing beneficial technology on the regional and federal policy level and providing “grass root” information to the authorities. DCG works in Tigray, Amhara and on the federal level and intends to extend into the Southern region and other areas in the near future. Currently DCG Ethiopia is working on a marketing project looking into the supply and demand of livelihoods, particularly related to how people manage with the increasing food prices. Through its work, DCG wishes to contribute with suggestions on how the government can cope with the current challenges. Also, DCG Ethiopia is conducting a study on biofuels, its usefulness and consequences for food production.
To read more about the Drylands Coordination Group, visit www.drylands-group.org