Biftu Beri: The Rising Morning Sun for Climate-Vulnerable Women from Kumbi Kebele

This case study describes a community-led initiative in Kumbi Kebele, Ethiopia, where women formed the Biftu Beri village savings and loan association (VSLA) to combat climate change impacts. Supported by the NGO Farm Africa, the group integrates forest conservation, indigenous tree planting, and agroforestry with a micro-finance model to improve household livelihoods and environmental resilience.

• Climate change in Kumbi Kebele, located in the Bale zone of the Oromia Regional National state, has led to the shrinking of larger rivers and the drying up of small rivers, which has hindered irrigation and caused prolonged droughts and extreme weather that negatively impact farming and livelihoods.
• The Biftu Beri women’s village savings and loan association (VSLA), led by Momina Adam and consisting of 25 women, combines environmental conservation with economic support. The group conducts regular forest patrols and plants indigenous trees in degraded areas to maintain forest density, while operating a weekly savings scheme that provides loans to members for small businesses.
• To adapt to climate challenges, women in the community have adopted agroforestry practices around their homes, cultivating drought-resistant, early-maturing varieties of crops, vegetables, and fruits. Economic diversification has included petty trading, egg production, and shoats fattening.
• The international NGO Farm Africa provided the foundational support for these initiatives by organizing women into VSLA and Participatory Forest Management (PFM) cooperatives. Their support included training on climate change, providing forestry materials, agroforestry technologies, coffee production and harvesting technologies, and establishing market linkages.

APA

Ababu, A. G. (2023). Biftu Beri: The Rising Morning Sun for Climate-Vulnerable Women from Kumbi Kebele. Global Resilience Partnership. https://www.globalresiliencepartnership.org/biftu-beri-the-rising-morning-sun-for-climate-vulnerable-women-from-kumbi-kebele/

Chicago

Ababu, Abera Getahun. Biftu Beri: The Rising Morning Sun for Climate-Vulnerable Women from Kumbi Kebele. Global Resilience Partnership, 2023. https://www.globalresiliencepartnership.org/biftu-beri-the-rising-morning-sun-for-climate-vulnerable-women-from-kumbi-kebele/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Ababu |first1=Abera Getahun |title=Biftu Beri: The Rising Morning Sun for Climate-Vulnerable Women from Kumbi Kebele |publisher=Global Resilience Partnership |date=3 April 2023 |url=https://www.globalresiliencepartnership.org/biftu-beri-the-rising-morning-sun-for-climate-vulnerable-women-from-kumbi-kebele/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{ababu2023biftu, author = {Ababu, Abera Getahun}, title = {{Biftu Beri: The Rising Morning Sun for Climate-Vulnerable Women from Kumbi Kebele}}, institution = {Global Resilience Partnership}, year = {2023}, month = apr, url = {https://www.globalresiliencepartnership.org/biftu-beri-the-rising-morning-sun-for-climate-vulnerable-women-from-kumbi-kebele/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }