Ethiopian Iddirs Mechanisms. Case Study in Pastoral Communities in Kembata and Wolaita
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Ethiopian Iddirs mechanisms. Case study in pastoral communities in Kembata and Wolaita Report presented by: Thomas Léonard For Interaide agricultural projects of support to familial farming April 2013 Contents Introduction ......................................................................................................................................... 4 Methodology ........................................................................................................................................ 5 Iddir ...................................................................................................................................................... 6 Origin and historical outlook ............................................................................................................. 6 Kembata ............................................................................................................................................. 11 Introducing Kembata ...................................................................................................................... 11 Sera and Hera, two institutions symbolic of Kembata .................................................................... 11 Sera, a set of norms that prevails all over Kembata .................................................................... 12 Hera, a territorial organization that ensure the observance of Sera ........................................... 12 Kembata Iddirs, multi-level associations ......................................................................................... 16 Historical outlook ........................................................................................................................ 16 Iddirs existence in Kembata context ............................................................................................ 17 Iddirs and their sub-committees: a cellular organization ............................................................ 18 Typology of Iddirs in Kembata ......................................................................................................... 19 Community iddirs. ........................................................................................................................... 20 Formalization .............................................................................................................................. 24 Financial perspectives ................................................................................................................. 25 Access to financial loans, a partial iddir service? ........................................................................ 27 Collective wheat savings, a specificity of Kembata iddirs ............................................................ 29 Women iddir ................................................................................................................................... 35 Community sub-iddirs. .................................................................................................................... 37 Health iddir ..................................................................................................................................... 38 Group work sub-iddir ...................................................................................................................... 40 Cattle insurance iddir ...................................................................................................................... 42 Seeds conservation iddirs ............................................................................................................... 43 Clan iddirs ....................................................................................................................................... 45 Religious iddirs ................................................................................................................................ 47 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................................... 49 Wolaita ............................................................................................................................................... 50 Introducing Wolaita ........................................................................................................................ 50 Succinct Wolaita social organization background ........................................................................... 51 Wolaita community life and territorial changes.............................................................................. 51 Wolaita Iddirs .................................................................................................................................. 52 Historical outlook ........................................................................................................................ 52 Iddirs evolution ........................................................................................................................... 53 Typology of iddirs in Wolaita........................................................................................................... 56 Community iddirs ............................................................................................................................ 56 The household as the basis for membership ............................................................................... 57 Membership conditioned to the contribution: ............................................................................ 58 Financial perspective ................................................................................................................... 60 2 Governance and instruments to the iddir functioning ................................................................. 62 Composition of the iddir committee: ........................................................................................... 64 Overlapping leadership functions of iddir committee members .................................................. 66 Iddirs relationship with the administration ................................................................................. 66 Community iddir services ................................................................................................................ 68 Funeral service ............................................................................................................................ 69 Health insurance and transportation of the sick ......................................................................... 76 Insurance against fire destruction and new house construction support ................................... 78 Insurance on cattle loss............................................................................................................... 79 Women iddirs.................................................................................................................................. 80 Community sub-iddirs ..................................................................................................................... 85 Ethnic iddir or tribal iddir ................................................................................................................ 87 Family/Clan iddirs ........................................................................................................................... 88 Religious iddirs ................................................................................................................................ 91 Professional iddirs ........................................................................................................................... 94 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................................... 95 Bibliography ....................................................................................................................................... 96 Appendices ......................................................................................................................................... 98 3 Introduction The agricultural projects implemented by Inter Aide France (IAF) in Ethiopia take place in 3 districts (Woredas) of the Southern Region of Ethiopia (Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Regional State -SNNPRS) : Kacha Bira, Hadero (Kembatta Zone) and Damot Gale (Wolayta Zone). Additionally, Inter Aide works in close collaboration with the local organisation RCBDIA in Ofa Woreda (Wolayta). The main objective of these 3 programs is to improve the food security of the vulnerable families on the short and the long term and to enhance the capacities of the local agricultural actors to develop the local production while durably protecting the natural resources. To achieve its goals, Inter Aide collaborate in a partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) and indigenous mutual aid associations, iddirs. In order to improve the understanding on the functioning of these lastly mentioned institutions, a study has been conducted whose purpose is to generate realistic and general informations on iddirs groups. More precisely, the aims of the study were to explore, document and analyse local Iddirs and their mechanisms in relation to their background, characteristics, functions and roles, financial management capacities and their relations with others local actors. The present report