A combination of nature-based solutions and grey infrastructure aims to improve water availability while community resource management groups are working to ensure more equitable access to the scarce resource.

Nature-based Intervention:

Community members, together with Practical Action, an NGO based in the United Kingdom, created an integrated water resource management plan (IWRM) to combine nature-based solutions, including the planting of high-quality indigenous grass seeds, with ‘grey’ infrastructure like building earth dams and crescent terraces. Agroforestry was also promoted in the area to restore the landscape and provide an additional source of income for community members. Most prominently, the local gum arabic tree was replanted and continuously managed. Many of the area’s water challenges also stemmed from inequitable water management systems. Therefore, the communities dependent on the watershed created inclusive natural resource management committees to ensure more equitable and fair access to the scarce resource.

Overview of context and outcomes:

Increased unpredictability of rainfall in the Wadi El Ku and Kabkabiya catchment areas of the North Darfur State has led to increased pressure on already scarce groundwater sources. This challenge affects farmers in the area that rely on rain-fed crops like millet and sorghum for food security and livelihoods. Furthermore, pastoralists face pressure to overgraze due to sharp reductions in the plant density and diversity available for livestock. This overgrazing degrades land, reduces biodiversity, and increases desertification risks further exacerbating water scarcity challenges in the area. In some cases, the unreliable rainwater and dwindling groundwater supplies have led to the abandonment of settlements.