Drylands in Ethiopia cover about seventy five percent of the total land mass of the country. These drylands harbor one third of the population of Ethiopia and this number is continuously increasing as more and more people migrate from highlydegraded highland areas into the drylands.

However, if well managed, drylands have tremendous potential to contribute to livelihood improvements and economic development. They have unexploited diverse agro- ecological resources, which include rich and diverse plant and animal species and huge underground water resources in the Afar region.