Awash Fentale is one of the 29 woreda

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 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....

 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 Administrative Zone 3

Administrative Zone 3 (Afar)

Administrative Zone 3 is one of five Zones of the Afar Region of Ethiopia. This zone is bordered on the south by the Oromia Region, on the southwest by the Amhara Region, on the west by the Argobba special woreda and Administrative Zone 5, on the north by Administrative Zone 1, and on the east by...

, Awash Fentale is bordered on the south by the Oromia Region

Oromia Region

Oromia is one of the nine ethnic divisions of Ethiopia...

, on the west by 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....

, on the north by Dulecha

Dulecha (woreda)

Dulecha is one of the 29 woredas in the Afar Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Administrative Zone 3, Dulecha is bordered on the south by Awash Fentale, on the west by the Argobba special woreda, on the north by the Administrative Zone 5, and on the east by the Awash River which separates it from...

, and on the east by Amibara

Amibara

Amibara is one of the 29 woredas in the Afar Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Administrative Zone 3, Amibara is bordered on the south by Awash Fentale, on the west by the Awash River which separates it from Dulecha to the southwest then on the northwest by the Administrative Zone 5, on the north by...

. Towns in Awash Fentale include Awash Sebat Kilo and Sabure.

Rivers in this woreda include the Awash

Awash River

The Awash is a major river of Ethiopia. Its course is entirely contained within the boundaries of Ethiopia, and empties into a chain of interconnected lakes that begin with Lake Gargori and end with Lake Abbe on the border with Djibouti, some 100 kilometers from the head of the Gulf of Tadjoura...

 and its tributary the Germama

Germama River

The Germama River is a tributary of the Awash River in Ethiopia. The name Germama comes from the Amharic word which means "frolicking", "boisterous", or "frisky"....

. A large portion of this woreda is occupied by the Awash National Park

Awash National Park

Awash National Park is one of the National Parks of Ethiopia. Located at the southern tip of the Afar Region, this park is 225 kilometers east of Addis Ababa , with its southern boundary along the Awash River, and covers at least 756 square kilometers of acacia woodland and grassland...

.

The dire conditions of the 2002 drought led local pastoralists, which included members of the Afar

Afar people

The Afar , also known as the Danakil, are an ethnic group in the Horn of Africa. They primarily live in the Afar Region of Ethiopia and in northern Djibouti, although some also inhabit the southern point of Eritrea.-Early history:...

, Karayu and the Ittu Oromo

Ittu Oromo

Ittu is one of the divisions of the Oromo people. This tribe lives dominantly in the present-day Mirab Hararghe Zone. The correct term for the land of Ittus is "Chercher" or "Ona Ituu" ....

, to armed conflicts over grazing and water access.

Demographics

Based on the 2007 Census conducted by the Central Statistical Agency

Central 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 29,780, of whom 15,475 are men and 14,305 women; with an area of 1,046.41 square kilometers, Awash Fentale has a population density of 28.46. While 16,849 or 56.58% are urban inhabitants, a further 1,695 or 5.69% are pastoralists. A total of 7,421 households were counted in this woreda, which results in an average of 4.0 persons to a household, and 7,751 housing units.

Agriculture

A sample enumeration performed by the CSA in 2001 interviewed 2303 farmers in this woreda, who held an average of 0.64 hectares of land. Of the 1.47 square kilometers of private land surveyed, 63.3% was under cultivation, 1.89% pasture, 24.83% fallow, and 9.96% was devoted to other uses; none was used as woodland. For the land under cultivation in this woreda, 33.22% was planted in cereals like maize

Maize

Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...

, 10.71% in vegetables, and 20.53% in root crops; none of the land was planted in pulses. A further 0.03 hectares was planted in fruit trees. All of the farmers claimed that they only raised livestock. Land tenure in this woreda is distributed between 91.06% owned their land, 4.51% rented, and the remaining 4.43% held their land under other forms of tenure.