Driving through the desert-like landscapes of the Afar, northern Ethiopia, traditional Afari tukuls – oval-shaped, flexible shelters made out of twigs and covered with mats or animal skins – are regularly seen scattered along the roadside.
These tent-like structures are specifically designed for their mobility, and they speak to how the livestock-raising community of Afar has traditionally trekked across the region, looking for pasture for their herds of camels and sheep, transporting the materials they need for their homes as they go.
Afar is considered the cradle of humanity, given that it is where the “mother of humanity”, known as “Lucy”, was discovered in 1974, and some of the oldest known stone tools have been discovered in the region.
When Lucy walked the valleys of Afar three million years ago, the landscapes were lush green and rich with biodiversity. The climate has been through many shifts since then, and is currently rapidly going through another. The human-driven climate crisis is pushing up the average temperature, disrupting weather patterns, and making the already arid environment ever more inhospitable for its inhabitants.
“Climate change is a huge issue here in Afar, driving two extremes: drought when there is not enough rain, and flooding, which erodes the soil and degrades the performance of land,” says Habtamu Ebrie, who leads the work by the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) on livelihoods and resilience in Afar. Both rainy seasons of 2025, he adds, have followed a worrying pattern of arriving too late and then falling too hard and fast – causing floods.
Extreme weather is nothing new to the pastoralist communities of Afar. But droughts that used to happen every 10 years are now happening every year, says Ebrie, and they are devastating the herds of animals that essentially represent all of the material wealth that communities hold. Intensified rainstorms are also bringing devastating windstorms with them, destroying structures and killing animals.
Evidence on the ground suggests that the climate is becoming too extreme for communities that rely solely on rearing animals, and families that have followed a nomadic way of life for generations are changing their livelihoods to adapt to their new reality.
Said Muhaba is a resident of the Amibara district of Afar. His herd consists of 10 camels, 10 cattle, and 20 goats. It has been 15 years now since the father of six, fed up with losing his animals to drought, decided to settle down and begin farming.
“Our life in Afar has always been more about raising animals – but now, due to the frequent droughts and weather patterns, we are turning to farming activities,” he explains, speaking in Amharic via a translator. “We have changed from pastoralists to agro-pastoralists.”
Said currently farms tomatoes, having previously grown both onions and cotton. He also grows fodder for his animals – rather than moving to find pasture – so that he can continue to feed them even in times of drought.
“Here in Afar, we share a strong connection with our animals. They are a source of meat and milk, and a source of income,” Said says. “We used to travel huge distances with our camels in particular.
“But previously, whenever natural calamities occurred, we would lose everything. Now, with both animals and crops, we feel more confident about the future,” he adds.
According to the chairman of Said’s kebele – which is the smallest level of local government in Ethiopian districts – the shift from pastoralism to agro-pastoralism is happening more and more, with a number of families now farming on the land alongside Said.
A couple of hours’ drive from Said, in the Gewane district of Afar, is 35-year-old Amina. She has been through similar experiences to Said as she has tried to adapt to the changing climate.
