The Sustainable Land Management (SLM) project interventions in Serejeka sub-zone

Natural resources are central to the livelihoods of the Eritrean population with over 80% of the rural populations being engaged in agricultural and natural resources-related activities.

However, severe land degradation which is arguably the most critical environmental problem facing the country has negatively affected agricultural production leading to increased vulnerability of local communities.

To address these challenges, UNDP Country Office partnered with the Government of the State of Eritrea, the Global Environment Facility (GEF), and NORAD to develop the project on Sustainable Land Management (SLM) which has been implemented in 28 villages of the Serejeka sub-zone covering about 240,000 ha.

The project addresses the main causes of land degradation in the Central Highland zone of Eritrea, including deforestation, inadequate agricultural practices, overgrazing, and insecure land tenure; with the main purpose of building a new sustainable land management model that addresses these causes through a combination of soil and water conservation activities with a new land tenure system that offers lifelong use of land to farmers as stipulated in the  58/1994 National Land Proclamation.