A Sad But Temporary Goodbye

It’s been an interesting first term to my final year, entering previously unchartered territory by writing two blogs for two of my modules. I’ve learnt more than I thought I would from writing a blog and I hope that maybe you’ve all learnt a little from reading it. The complexity of the relationship between water and food has continually surprised me. I suppose coming from a place (Cornwall) where it rains a lot, is sometimes sunny and has plenty of tractors on the road, agriculture has never been something I have been overly concerned with, other than when it causes a traffic jam. Yet by looking at the relationship between water and food in Ethiopia I have realised the difficulties inherent in water management in areas where rainfall is far from regular and budgets are tight. 


I would have liked to explore transboundary water conflicts in more detail, along with the various water management strategies employed across Ethiopia, as I certainly haven’t been comprehensive in my coverage. I do hope, however, that I have illustrated to you the problems facing Ethiopia in terms of cyclical, fluctuating and declining rainfall. I also hope that I haven’t left you with a negative outlook but instead given you cause for optimism by highlighting the huge potential for Ethiopia to benefit from its available water resources. I for one believe now more than ever that Ethiopia, like much of Africa, does have the potential to grow enough food, if only it can properly utilise its water resources in the future. For now though, I must take a break from this blog to focus on my dissertation. I hope you’ve enjoyed it as much as I have, goodbye! 

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