Action Ethiopia was established in 2000 in response to the extreme challenges faced by small-scale farmers and the natural environment in Ethiopia. The founders, the Langdon/Sandford Family, have a long history of connection with Ethiopia having lived and worked in the country since the 1920’s.  In the late 1990s, they were approached by an enthusiastic group of Ethiopia professionals determined to bring sustainable solutions to Ethiopian farmers who eke out their living from farming in rapidly  environmentally deteriorating isolated areas. This dedicated group eventually established SUNARMA (Sustainable Natural Resource Management Association) as a national Ethiopian NGO. Sunarma then approached Action Ethiopia to set up an office in the UK to give them easier access to western donors. This model is the opposite of what is usually the case, since the lead organisation is in Ethiopia and the country office resides in the UK. The two organisations then entered into a formal agreement with Action Ethiopia becoming a source of technical, financial and managerial support for SUNARMA who carry out the  actual project work with farmers in rural Ethiopia.