Environmental policy and administrative management

Al-Maghareb sub district is located in Bura District, Hodiedah Governorate above Bura Protected area. A community main activity for livelihood is the cultivation of Coffee in terraces built in against mountain steep slopes approximately 80o. This ancient technique helps preserving soil and water over many centuries ago and helps community realize sustainable livelihood. In such farming system depend on mono crop, failure of rainfall season does not allow farmers to gain any harvest (zero coffee crop summer 2008). Shortage of water affecting agriculture and domestic supply hence overwhelmed women with extra Labour fetching water from distance away below the villages. Digging and building water harvesting system is well known technique to overcome water supply shortages being progressively dictated as a must in recent years. Community aimed to build an endless number of water harvest cistern to collect rainwater for irrigation and domestic uses. The limiting factor remains the lack of financial ability despite the fact that coffee is a cash crop but it said to fall short providing sufficient support for basic needs for the household. The community aimed at finishing 27 water harvesting cisterns accommodating 2,482 cubic meters each time all cisterns filled in. Community will use this water for coffee hence income securing for better livelihood and revolving funds. The community also aimed at securing the finishing of extra eight cisterns to accommodate 563 cubic meters (23%) in the live span of the project (15 months). The same principle will be applicable to expand the project from support by the revolving fund with hope that the water harvest capacity will doubled each 4 years (4 years re-payment by each beneficiary to revolving funds after selling coffee). Environmental awareness, organic farming practices and capacity building is an activity proposed by the project. The aim is to raise awareness about the importance of biodiversity conservation in the surrounding and the neighbouring protected area below the village. Also, promoting the concept of organic faring and irrigation techniques that could make best use of scarce water resources.

Yemen