A silk thread of hope

Thin silk twirls through Abebech Tama’s fingertips. She never thought that one day a thin thread would generate an income for her and her family. She now finds herself in the same place as before - the forests of the Nech Sar National Park close to the city of Arba Minch. But with this thread in her hand, Abebech is safe. The time of an unsafe working environment and an uncertain income for her is over, like when she used to collect firewood from the park to make a living, facing dangers inside the forest posed by crocodiles, the changing river flow, and other people.

A silky new chapter

‘‘We’ve been through so much, so many challenges“, says 30-year-old Abebech Tama. Abebech is known as a “Silk Lady.” It’s a title she still isn’t used to, but she proudly says ‘‘With this job, I can now see what a bright future looks like.’’

Abebech and the other Silk Ladies of the sericulture cooperative live at the border of the Nech Sar National Park. Located between the Southern Ethiopian Rift Valley Lakes Abaya and Chamo, the park is ecologically rich, home to a great variety of wildlife and vegetation, and one of the most important national parks in Ethiopia

The population of the neighboring town of Arba Minch has been growing exponentially in recent years, increasing the demand and pressure on resources. As agriculture has taken over the slopes and valleys, the only remaining source of natural resources is the national park.

For many women, collecting and selling firewood is one of the few consistent forms of income to sustain their families. In Ethiopia, firewood is widely used for cooking. But as local scientists from Arba Minch University confirm, the regional ecosystem suffers greatly as a result. Because of its natural richness, the region is increasingly subjected to excessive land degradation and deforestation.

The thin silk thread might become an example of how these ecological, social and economic dimensions can be bound together.

Work of the “Silk Ladies”

As she shovels cocoons out of a vat of boiling water, Abebech's strong arms tell us a story of strength and resilience. Producing silk is a labor-intensive process with many different stages. It demands focus and attention to detail, but she has the experience of tough work. The national park authorities, together with the GIZ-implemented Biodiversity and Forestry project, have supported the establishment of this sericulture cooperative, where the women learn the steps of ecological silk production and processing - from silkworm fodder management, to egg production, treatment of pupae, cleaning and spinning the silk.

Remaining challenges

Nature and human life are interdependent.

The loss of habitat has been, and continues to be, one of the biggest threats to our own future. The national parks in Ethiopia were created to protect these habitats, the vulnerable species and the ecosystems that secure livelihoods for the communities. Ecosystems are fragile and their conservation and management implies financial investments and efforts that are rarely recognized and internalized by the public and private sector that nevertheless use them as the source of their activities. Nature has been generous with Ethiopia and its people, but people and decision makers have not been considerate to nature.

Unsustainable farming practices around Lakes Abaya and Chamo cause water run-off and erosion. Both lakes suffer from high levels of siltation with the consequent reduction of fish stocks, which affects the livelihoods of fishermen and the fishing industry, on which thousands in Arba Minch are dependent.

When asked why so many people go into the park and extract resources, Yibeltal Yihunew, assistant professor at Arba Minch University, explains: ‘‘They only think about living for today because there are many mouths to feed in their homes.’’ People are driven by a lack of income alternatives and the need to feed their families.

Green jobs in sericulture

Sericulture, or silk farming, is an agro-based industry that can be practiced on a small scale. Its proven advantages include socio-economic and ecological value, job and income creation, environmental conservation.

‘Silk made in Ethiopia’ might contribute to the growing textile sector in Ethiopia in the future. The link with the local private sector is a way to boost new green jobs by using biodiversity in a sustainable and climate-resilient way.

With sericulture, the silk ladies support environmental conservation, economic development and the empowerment of others in surrounding rural communities. The silk ladies now also take responsibility for contributing to the conservation of the park they depend on.

Changes with big meanings

Freedom. Change. Equality. When the Silk Ladies are asked about the biggest change in their lives since working in sericulture, the answers have powerful words.

‘‘Now I can move around freely “, says Gigise Asha.

Gojiame Gorsha remembers, ‘‘After I collected firewood, I would take it to the market and sell it in bundles for 5 or 10 ETB. I would take what I made from the sale back to my children. That is how it was. But now, everything seems different. Working here has greatly changed our lives. We have changed so much.’’

Abebech adds ‘‘When carrying firewood, we used to wear the same clothes every day. Since we have started working here, we can wash our clothes and keep a clean appearance, just like everyone else. Before we used to be so ashamed of looking other people in the eyes. This allowed me to be equal to other people.” And at the end, a powerful sentence summing up her journey: “I believe I found my freedom.”

About the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Natural Resources in Ethiopia: Biodiversity Programme

On behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Natural Resources in Ethiopia: Biodiversity Programme brings together state institutions, private actors, and communities around selected protected areas to cooperate in landscape restoration and local economic development activities. The programme also strengthens the capacities of the institutions responsible for protected areas and forest management across the local, regional and federal levels.

Around Nech Sar National Park in southern Ethiopia, the programme supported women to form a silk production cooperative which not only releases them from having to extract resources from inside the park to make a living but also provides them with a sustainable income. This eco-friendly activity has the potential to be linked to the rising textile sector in Ethiopia. It does not only benefit the women but also the nature surrounding them.

A silk thread of hope

ETHIOPIA