Fikirte Gebrehiwot

Ethiopian climate activist leading grassroots initiatives to combat desertification through sustainable agriculture

Overview

Fikirte Gebrehiwot (b. 1989) is a visionary environmental leader from Ethiopia whose work has transformed rural communities' approach to climate resilience. Since 2018, she has spearheaded the Great Green Wall initiative's local implementation in the Tigray region, planting over 350 million trees through innovative water harvesting techniques. Her Community Seed Banks project has preserved indigenous crop varieties while doubling agricultural yields for 12,000+ households.

Key Achievements

• Established Africa's first agroforestry training centers for women farmers
• Pioneered the Rainwater Harvesting 2.0 system adopted by 8 African nations
• Recipient of the 2023 EarthxGlobal Award for climate innovation

Global Impact

Gebrehiwot's work has been featured in National Geographic's 2022 documentary series Africa Reborn, and her methodology is now part of the UN's SDG 15 Toolkit. She currently advises the African Union's climate policy team while expanding her Desert to Oasis program to the Sahel region.