In spite of a terrific effort from the govenm1ent of Ethiopia and NGOs, food insecurity problem ofrnTachgayint Wereda has become a great concern. Recurrent drought and the natural environmentrndegradation have made a ll efforts for un improved li vel ihood difficult. The woreda has been underrnrelief and development assistance for the last three decades. Studies show that vulnerability havernincreased, food security had worsen, dependency syndrome has stiffened and sustainability ofrndevelopment interventions has been impeded.rnThe role of Traditional Local Institutions in the development arena has been shadowed in conceptualrnand methodological uncertainties. What are the realities of TLls in Ethiopia? How could they appearrninto the development arena? What are the systems and methods to use them effectively? Whatrnadvantage do they have over the modern ones? What are the precautious points to work with them?rnThis study surveys the issues that need to be considered in answering these questions, and di scussrncurrent development interventi ons at Tachgayint to help analyze the extent of their involvement andrnindicate their present status in complimenting the effOlt of modern institution s. The research tries tornprove that one of the root causes fo r the food security problem and decline of li ve lihood in the area isrnmarginalization of the TLls from development activities.rnThe research uses a descriptive method to prove its hypothesis. It carefully investi gates the rootrnproblems in a qualitative manner. A survey has been made on 120 HHs using a structured quest ionerrnfocu sing on one kebele that includes the three agro climatic conditions. It also uses focus grouprndi scussion, key informants, interview with poor farmers especially women l-II-Is , made a house tornhouse visit , informal discussions and interviews with TLls leaders. Besides it uses literature reviewrnand search out secondary data to substantiate its arguments. Finally the research proposes a fea siblernidea to help TLls considered in the development activ ities in the area.