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Cattle of the Sudanese Hamerenya breed have some special qualities, including docility and a high milk yield. Through an IFAD-supported programme, farmers in the Adi Quala subdistrict in Eritrea were able to take out small loans to invest in the purchase of Hamerenya cattle. The programme also helps the farmers manage the livestock effectively, safeguarding their investment.

In drought-prone Eritrea, livestock is a farmer’s most valuable asset. Animal husbandry is not only one of the main sources of livelihood for farmers, but it is also a form of insurance that enables poor rural people to cope with drought and other disasters. IFAD-funded projects invest in rebuilding livestock and the agriculture sector, and help Eritrean farmers meet the challenges of climate change and its effects on their lives and their livelihoods. 
 

Bee-keeping is an alternative source of income for rural families, especially in times of drought, when food security is at risk. Luul, an Eritrean farmer, has learned how to keep bees and avoid their sting, and now he is content with his livelihood of producing honey, or liquid gold. IFAD funded operations in Eritrea encourage farmers to diversify their income-generating activities — producing honey, dairy products or livestock to sell — and provide the financing, training and support they need.

Biogas provides poor rural women and men in developing countries with clean and renewable energy all year round. Electricity generated by biogas lights the lamps that allow children to study in the evening. It frees women from the time-consuming chore of collecting firewood and enables them to undertake value-added activities. And thanks to biogas fuel, rural kitchens are now free of smoke and ash, for a healthier household environment. As fertilizer,  the organic residue that is an end-product of the biogas process boosts the productivity of agricultural plots. In Eritrea, IFAD helps farmers build biogas units and reap the benefits of green technology.

Water is precious in Eritrea, where farmers have to cope with droughts and crop failures. With support from the government and an IFAD-funded project, farmers and herders are expanding spate irrigation, an ancient form of water management. By harnessing floodwaters and collecting run-off, farmers can provide enough water for the crop season. Now some farmers can obtain yields that are six times what they used to be.
 

Women have always had an important role in Eritrean society. During the struggle for independence they helped transform Eritrean society, and today rural women contribute substantially to the agriculture sector and provide income for their households.
Like women around the world and especially those in developing countries, the women in Eritrea’s Gash Barka region start the day’s activities bright and early. They not only do the household chores, but are also fully engaged in agricultural activities.

To begin, let me introduce Angesom Kalkai, our dedicated Water Program Manager since October 2003. Angesom made sure that we surveyed nearly every water hole within reach on our journey. In every village we stopped at, he was the first one out of the car, busy greeting old friends and making new contacts with the village administrators who play a major role in the success of any community-based project.

Over $2.6 million of Northwest-grown wheat (17,000 metric tons) leaves Portland this week, headed for a 40-day journey to the drought-stricken nation of Eritrea where it will help feed more than 157,000 people as part of the agency's Northern Red Sea Food, Nutrition, and Community Water Program.

In five regions of northern Eritrea, Mercy Corps has begun to distribute critical food commodities to 150,000 drought-affected people.

On a map of the world Eritrea looks like a small country, neatly tucked along the horn of Africa, wedged in between its larger neighbors to the west and east, Ethiopia and Sudan. When you travel in the country, however, it suddenly takes on a different character, growing in size with each passing mile spent on the bumpy dirt roads under the wide, startlingly blue sky. The distances feel especially great when you head deep into the highlands where the rudimentary roads go no further.

Eritrea, located in the Horn of Africa, gained its independence in 1991. Years of war left Eritrea without even the most basic educational resources.

The small centre for malnourished children in Hagaz, at the border of Gash Barka and Anseba regions about 100 kilometres (60 miles) northwest of Asmara, hosts dozens of children and some adults. They are all victims of the present drought, Eritrea's worst in a decade.

Having endured a thirty year struggle for independence and a recent border skirmish, Eritrea's health system was inadequate with poor facilities, and lacking both supplies and skilled healthcare staff. In 1995, just 41 percent of children 12-23 months were fully vaccinated and 38 percent had received no vaccinations at all. Infant and child mortality rates were 72 and 136 per 1000, respectively.

Eritrea is one of the world's poorest countries, ranking 157 out of 173 countries in the United Nations Development Program Human Development Index. It is also one of the world's newest countries. Gaining independence in 1993 after a 30-year independence struggle, it inherited a neglected and conflict-damaged health system. In addition, this nation in the drought-prone Horn of Africa suffers chronic food insecurity. Eritrea's development is also challenged by conflict: after only a few years of peace, the 1998-2000 border conflict with Ethiopia forced one-third of Eritreans to again flee their homes. Some have not yet returned to their homes due to land mines.

In 2001, the USAID-supported Eritrean Social Marketing Group needed to develop a new logo for the Abusalama brand condom sold for HIV prevention. The Eritrean Social Marketing Group (ESMG) is a partnership of the U.S. NGO Population Services International and an Eritrean NGO, the National Union of Eritrean Youth and Students. "Abusalama" is the Eritrean word for dolphin, and there is a rich tradition of folklore around the Red Sea that dolphins will try to protect human beings. The ESMG promotes abstinence and fidelity as well as condoms in its HIV education efforts.

The Adal Poultry Farm in Keren is a new medium-sized enterprise whose primary short-term objective is to supply eggs to the domestic market. In the longer run, it intends also to supply chicken meat to that market.