Guba Lafto
Encyclopedia
Guba Lafto is one of the 105 woreda
s in the Amhara Region
of Ethiopia
. Part of the Semien Wollo Zone
, Guba Lafto is bordered on the south by the Debub Wollo Zone
, on the west by Dawuntna Delant
, on the northwest by Meket
, on the north by Gidan
, on the northeast by the Logiya River
which separates it from Kobo
, on the east by the Afar Region
, and on the southeast by Habru
. Weldiya
is an enclave inside this woreda. Towns in this woreda include Hara
.
, affecting 560 hectares and benefiting 2,489 households.
Guba Lafto has a mountainous landscape, with its ranging from 1300 to 3900 meters above sea level. Soil erosion is marked by ever-expanding gullies. Increasing population has led to shrinking farm and grazing areas. Declining soil fertility, increased incidence of crop pests and weeds, along with cultural attitudes have made Guba Lafto as one of the food insecure woredas of the Amhara Region. To help combat this, the AMAREW project helped inhabitants of kebele
s located in the Lenche Dima watershed to create micro-enterprise
s to manufacture gabion
wire boxes. Produced at a third of the cost they can be purchased at Debre Tabor
, these gabions are used to fight gully formation.
of Ethiopia (CSA), this woreda has a total population of 139,825, an increase of 0.48% over the 1994 census, of whom 70,750 are men and 69,075 women; 4,886 or 3.49% are urban inhabitants. With an area of 900.49 square kilometers, Guba Lafto has a population density of 155.28, which is greater than the Zone average of 123.25 persons per square kilometer. A total of 33,676 households were counted in this woreda, resulting in an average of 4.15 persons to a household, and 32,824 housing units.
The 1994 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 139,151 in 34,716 households, of whom 69,975 were men and 69,176 were women; none of its population were reported to be urban dwellers. The largest ethnic group reported in Guba Lafto was the Amhara
(99.92%). Amharic
was spoken as a first language by 99.94%. The majority of the population was reported to practice Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity with 88.55% professing that belief, while 11.42% of the population said they were Muslim
.
Woreda
Woreda is an administrative division of Ethiopia , equivalent to a district . Woredas are composed of a number of Kebele, or neighborhood associations, which are the smallest unit of local government in Ethiopia...
s in the Amhara Region
Amhara Region
Amhara is one of the nine ethnic divisions of Ethiopia, containing the homeland of the Amhara people. Previously known as Region 3, its capital is Bahir Dar....
of Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
. Part of the Semien Wollo Zone
Semien Wollo Zone
Semien Wollo is a Zone in the Ethiopian Amhara Region. Semien Wollo acquired its name from the former province of Wollo. Semien Wollo is bordered on the south by Debub Wollo, on the west by Debub Gondar, on the north by Wag Hemra, and on the northeast and east by the Afar Region; part of its...
, Guba Lafto is bordered on the south by the Debub Wollo Zone
Debub Wollo Zone
Debub Wollo is one of 10 Zones in the Ethiopian Amhara Region. It acquired its name from the former province of Wollo.Debub Wollo is bordered on the south by Semien Shewa and the Oromia Region, on the west by Mirab Gojjam, on the northwest by Debub Gondar, on the north by Semien Wollo and on the...
, on the west by Dawuntna Delant
Dawuntna Delant
Dawuntna Delant is one of the 105 woredas in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Semien Wollo Zone, Dawuntna Delant is bordered on the south by the Checheho River which separates it from the Debub Wollo Zone, on the west by the Debub Gondar Zone, on the north by Wadla, and on the east by...
, on the northwest by Meket
Meket
Meket is one of the 105 woredas in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. It is named after a former district located approximately in this area. Located on the western side of the Semien Wollo Zone, Meket is bordered on the south by Wadla, on the west by the Debub Gondar Zone, on the north by Bugna, and...
, on the north by Gidan
Gidan
Gidan is one of the 105 woredas in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Semien Wollo Zone, Gidan is bordered on the south by Guba Lafto, on the southwest by Meket, on the west by Bugna, on the north by the Afar Region, and on the east by Kobo...
, on the northeast by the Logiya River
Logiya River
The Logiya is a river of east-central Ethiopia. Having its source in the Ethiopian highlands, this stream flows eastwards to become a tributary of the Awash River near ....
which separates it from Kobo
Kobo (woreda)
Kobo is one of the 105 woredas in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. Located in the northeast corner of the Semien Wollo Zone, Kobo is bordered on the south by the Logiya River which separates it from Habru and Guba Lafto, on the west by Gidan, and on the north and east by the Afar Region...
, on the east by the Afar Region
Afar Region
Afar is one of the nine ethnic divisions of Ethiopia, and is the homeland of the Afar people. Formerly known as Region 2, its current capital is Asayita; a new capital named Semera on the paved Awash - Asseb highway is under construction....
, and on the southeast by Habru
Habru
Habru is one of the 105 woredas in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Semien Wollo Zone, Habru is bordered on the south by the Mille River which separates it from the Debub Wollo Zone, on the west by Guba Lafto, on the north by the Logiya River which separates it from Kobo, and on the east...
. Weldiya
Weldiya
Weldiya is a hillside market town, capital of the Semien Wollo Zone, and woreda in northern Ethiopia. Located north of Dessie and southeast of Lalibela in the Amhara Region, this town has a latitude and longitude of and an elevation of 2112 meters above sea level.A notable landmark is the church...
is an enclave inside this woreda. Towns in this woreda include Hara
Hara, Ethiopia
Hara is a town in central Ethiopia. It is located in Guba Lafto woreda in the Amhara Region....
.
Overview
Guba Lafto, as well as the other seven rural woredas of this Zone, has been grouped amongst the 48 woredas identified as the most drought prone and food insecure in the Amhara Region. To combat increasing droughts and improve crop yields, two irrigation projects have been undertaken in this woreda by the Commission for Sustainable Agriculture and Environmental Rehabilitation in the Amhara Region and the NGO Lutheran World FederationLutheran World Federation
The Lutheran World Federation is a global communion of national and regional Lutheran churches headquartered in the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, Switzerland. The federation was founded in the Swedish city of Lund in the aftermath of the Second World War in 1947 to coordinate the activities of the...
, affecting 560 hectares and benefiting 2,489 households.
Guba Lafto has a mountainous landscape, with its ranging from 1300 to 3900 meters above sea level. Soil erosion is marked by ever-expanding gullies. Increasing population has led to shrinking farm and grazing areas. Declining soil fertility, increased incidence of crop pests and weeds, along with cultural attitudes have made Guba Lafto as one of the food insecure woredas of the Amhara Region. To help combat this, the AMAREW project helped inhabitants of kebele
Kebele
A kebele is the smallest administrative unit of Ethiopia similar to ward, a neighbourhood or a localized and delimited group of people...
s located in the Lenche Dima watershed to create micro-enterprise
Micro-enterprise
A micro-enterprise is a type of small business, often registered, having five or fewer employees and requiring seed capital of not more than $35,000. The term is often used in Australia to refer to a business with a single owner-operator, and having up to 20 employees...
s to manufacture gabion
Gabion
Gabions are cages, cylinders, or boxes filled with soil or sand that are used in civil engineering, road building, and military applications. For erosion control caged riprap is used. For dams or foundation construction, cylindrical metal structures are used...
wire boxes. Produced at a third of the cost they can be purchased at Debre Tabor
Debre Tabor
Debre Tabor is a town and a woreda in north-central Ethiopia. Located in the Debub Gondar Zone of the Amhara Region of Ethiopia, about 100 kilometers southeast of Gondar and 50 kilometers east of Lake Tana, this historic town has a latitude and longitude of with an elevation of 2706 meters above...
, these gabions are used to fight gully formation.
Demographics
Based on the 2007 national census conducted by the Central Statistical AgencyCentral Statistical Agency (Ethiopia)
The Central Statistical Agency is an agency of the government of Ethiopia designated to provide all surveys and censuses for that country used to monitor economic and social growth, as well as to act as an official training center in that field. It is part of the Ethiopian Ministry of Finance and...
of Ethiopia (CSA), this woreda has a total population of 139,825, an increase of 0.48% over the 1994 census, of whom 70,750 are men and 69,075 women; 4,886 or 3.49% are urban inhabitants. With an area of 900.49 square kilometers, Guba Lafto has a population density of 155.28, which is greater than the Zone average of 123.25 persons per square kilometer. A total of 33,676 households were counted in this woreda, resulting in an average of 4.15 persons to a household, and 32,824 housing units.
The 1994 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 139,151 in 34,716 households, of whom 69,975 were men and 69,176 were women; none of its population were reported to be urban dwellers. The largest ethnic group reported in Guba Lafto was the Amhara
Amhara people
Amhara are a highland people inhabiting the Northwestern highlands of Ethiopia. Numbering about 19.8 million people, they comprise 26% of the country's population, according to the 2007 national census...
(99.92%). Amharic
Amharic language
Amharic is a Semitic language spoken in Ethiopia. It is the second most-spoken Semitic language in the world, after Arabic, and the official working language of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. Thus, it has official status and is used nationwide. Amharic is also the official or working...
was spoken as a first language by 99.94%. The majority of the population was reported to practice Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity with 88.55% professing that belief, while 11.42% of the population said they were Muslim
Islam in Ethiopia
According to the latest 2007 national census, Islam is the second most widely practised religion in Ethiopia after Christianity, with over 25 million of Ethiopians adhering to Islam according to the 2007 national census, having arrived in Ethiopia in 615...
.