the village chairman, gabre giday, remembers well how life used to be. >> [speaking in foreign language] ten years ago i'd say, even five years ago, i'll tell you what the situation was: it was absolutely terrible. the sun, the drought, the wind, it was all dry like the desert. there was a refugee program for our village, so we had a choice, leave the valley or do something. >> with government support, they applied the same principles as the chinese: setting land aside for natural vegetation to return. in the ravines, they built small dams which are now fed by underground springs. and like professor legesse's stream, rain that fell weeks ago now slowly seeps through the subsoil, replenishing the supply of water. >> [speaking in foreign language] the eroded land has become fertile, it's changed for the better. in the drought, our fruit trees dried up. now they are coming back, and we're growing even more varieties. these are the real benefits we've seen. we have food security, and our children can go to school. our lives have improved. >> these villagers are now better able to withstand