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When the Water Ends

“When the Water Ends” tells the story of climate change conflicts in East Africa. For thousands of years, semi-nomadic pastoralists have followed fresh water sources and grazing land. They are accustomed to harsh environments and surviving with limited resources. But with the impacts of climate change, competition for water and pasture is escalating. Increased drought and decreased rainfall is fueling violent conflict over water and grazing lands.

Photojournalist Evan Abramson spent two months traveling and living among these tribal communities. When the Water Ends is Abramson’s first multimedia piece, and he captured several voices and communities during his reporting. He shot over 10,000 photographs and interviewed several tribesmen and leaders from local NGOs. Yale Environment 360 commissioned the project and asked MediaStorm to produce a video that also included interviews from the scientific community.

MediaStorm is an award-winning film production and interactive design studio whose work gives voice and meaning to the most pressing issues of our time. Our stories demystify complex issues, humanize statistics, and inspire audiences to take action on issues that matter.

The Permaculture Research Insitute

PRI Zaytuna Farm functions as a model farm (in development) and permaculture training facility. Geoff and Nadia Lawton, world-renowned permaculture educators and consultants, lead the project. Much of Geoff and Nadia’s time over the last few years has been spent away from the Institute, consulting and helping set up projects in diverse locales around the world. Seeing the worldwide demand for knowledgeable permaculture consultants and teachers increase exponentially, as fuel and fertiliser prices skyrocket and the effects of climate change, soil depletion and water shortages begin to hit hard, priority and focus is now shifting back to the Institute, where growing the training program will increase the output of quality teachers to help fill the growing need for them.

3 Comments

  1. Wow. Thanks so much for posting this video. I tend to take for granted my access to water. I’m only imagining what could permaculture do to help them. I wonder if we could not help their ecosystem regenerate (with all the wonderful ideas, designs and techniques). How ‘easy’ would it be to rejuvenate their soil and create abundance for them. Is there any way a group of people be granted permission to redesign this area. Would it be too unsafe for anyone to develop a project? O, the questions that run through my head. Anyway, thanks so much.

  2. Heartbreaking! Worse part is that these are good people being faced off against each other. If anyone here has the means to help through permaculture regeneration please do. I wish I was in a position to do.

  3. Good video, though we have to be clear; it’s not so much a water problem, basically there is water enough, especially as groundwater.

    The suffering is more caused by inadequate infrastructure, such as failing pumps and poor management by the governments of these infrastructure.

    Many NGOs provide “solutions” but most of that fails, because they are not imbedded in a regional Governmental supported structure.

    FairWater promotes therefor regional solutions, such as “BlueZones” where the Provincial Government is responsible for handpump maintenance, and the communities pay a yearly fee for that to the Provincial Water Counsel, and a small, fixed contribution in case of a repair.

    Such win/win arrangements are sustainable if you use durable handpumps that hardly break down, such as the famous “BluePump”

    This “BlueZone Approach” will change Africa, it’s feasible, if just all NGOs are willing to work on this together.

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