Rationale for the Program
For millennia, humans and forests have coexisted harmoniously. However, in recent centuries, humanity has become a destructive force that disrupts the equilibrium between people, trees, and woodlands, primarily because of excessive exploitation. In Ethiopia, this overuse has had severe consequences, including widespread land degradation, soil erosion, deforestation, biodiversity loss, desertification, and frequent droughts and floods. Nevertheless, global and Ethiopian evidence suggests that traditional agroforestry practices can help to restore the social, economic, and environmental benefits of forests and woody vegetation. Additionally, farmers across the country face land shortages due to their essential needs: crop cultivation, tree growth for construction and fuel, and livestock rearing for various products. This scarcity, coupled with land degradation and reduced productivity, has prompted the development of an integrated land-use system (agroforestry) that combines trees, crops, and/or animals on a single plot of land. Furthermore, Ethiopia’s National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA) and other climate and environmental initiatives promote agroforestry to enhance the use of trees for the intensification, diversification, and buffering of farming systems. This approach aimed to improve the resilience of agricultural practices and smallholder farmers’ livelihood strategies. Agroforestry is a dynamic, ecologically based natural resource management system that incorporates trees into farms and agricultural landscapes, helping diversify and sustain production while increasing social, economic, and environmental benefits. In light of these developments, the Department of Agroforestry was established in 2013/2020 to educate highly qualified graduates with the necessary knowledge, skills, and attitudes. These graduates are trained to understand the dynamics of nature and climate, and apply agroforestry technologies to enhance the community’s social, economic, and environmental well-being. The department’s academic staff consist of a diverse group of professionals specializing in various areas, as detailed in the staff profile section of the department’s webpage.
Vision
- “The Department of Agroforestry aspires to become one of the leading centers for training Agroforestry and forestry professionals in Ethiopia by 2030.”
Mission
- The Department of Agroforestry is striving to produce efficient, community-oriented, and internationally competent graduates with a prospective career in agroforestry and forestry who have mastered the management and conservation of forests and the integration of trees with crops, animals, and/or crops and animals in the context of climate change and the development plan of the country.
