At the Water and Land Resource Centre (WLRC), Integrated Landscape Management (ILM)
is positioned as a development approach that connects landscape restoration with inclusive
economic development. Beyond the classic soil and water conservation, ILM creates structured
opportunities for young people to participate in landscape governance, enterprise development,
and evidence-based monitoring.
Through initiatives such as the Kunzila Integrated Landscape Management and WASH Project
(ILMWA), WLRC is facilitating youth employment by linking natural resource management
with expanding horticulture, livestock and agricultural value chains. This approach enables
young women and men to participate in productive, market-linked activities while contributing
to improved ecosystem performance.
Across our Learning Watersheds, WLRC strengthens youth engagement by:
- Establishing or revitalizing community nurseries supported by revolving funds;
- Providing technical and business training in seedling production such as grafting (fruit
trees, agroforestry species, etc.);
- Supporting homestead development packages such as home gardening, fruit
development, livestock development (apiculture, poultry, small-scale fattening and
dairy, aquaculture), cash crop development such as Gesho and Coffee, Compost
Making, fuel saving stoves and water resource development (shallow wells, small
ponds, roof water harvesting);
- Supporting the development of small-scale enterprises linked to local landscape
opportunities such as multi-crop threshing machine and shellers business, operation and
maintenance of multi-village water supply systems, forage development, fattening,
poultry and others;
- Involving and supporting youth to be member of the saving and credit associations
(supported by WLRC to serve as source of rural finance for youth entrepreneurs) to
enhance saving culture as well as to get finance for their sound business ideas.
Youth participation is not limited to implementation. ILM also enhances the role of young
people in local decision-making and planning, using multi-stakeholder platforms that
strengthen governance, accountability, and long-term landscape stewardship.
In addition, WLRC invests in monitoring, learning, and knowledge systems, where youth are
engaged in:
- Data collection and analysis (climate, hydro-sedimnentology, water quality, etc);
- GIS and spatial mapping;
- Monitoring of ecological and socio-economic indicators;
- Operational learning and documentation.
This contributes not only to improved project performance but also to building a technically
capable cohort of young professionals at local level.
As WLRC continues to scale the comprehensive ILM model it designed across Ethiopia, it
remains committed to advancing a model where improved natural resources management
delivers:
- Expanded youth employment and income opportunities;
- Greater landscape resilience and productivity; and
- Stronger and more inclusive local governance systems.