In southern Ethiopia, small farming communities face problems with the availability of water for irrigation, which limits crop yields and stability. The project aims to develop a tool for visualizing, planning, and assessing groundwater resources to help decision-makers and development project staff, particularly in the area of shallow irrigation, which has the potential to double crop yields and improve crop stability. 

The project builds on previous initiatives, which included the production of geoscientific maps for large areas of southern Ethiopia and focuses on assessing optimal shallow aquifers (aquifers) for use as groundwater reservoirs for irrigation and drinking water. The objective is to use existing hydrogeological and hydrochemical maps to develop quantitative models of groundwater availability in the selected catchment. The project will be implemented in collaboration with the Czech Geological Survey (CGS), Charles University, and SG Geotechnika a.s., along with international partners including the Center for Resilient and Sustainable Communities (CRSC) at George Mason University and Global MapAid in the UK, and local institutes in Ethiopia such as Arba Minch University and the Ministry of Water and Energy of Ethiopia.