Introduction

livestock population (FAO,2003). In spite of this; the productivity of livestock is low mainly due to several factors such as genetic makeup, poor nutrition and poor veterinary care. The diverse Agro-ecological condition of the country also supports the growth of various food, industrial, cash and medicinal plants. The country is also believed to be the major centers of origin/diversity for several horticultural crops, including leafy vegetables, root and tuber crops, spices, coffee and ornamental flowers. Ethiopia is the largest producer of coffee in Africa, with a reputation for producing some of the world’s finest coffees. More than 60% of Ethiopian coffee is produced as forest or semi-forest coffee.

 Owning to the rich agricultural resources the country’s future development heavily relies on the efficient and effective mobilization and utilization of these resources. In spite of the salient roles agriculture plays in the national economy and the rich potentials the country has for agricultural development, the performance of the sector is not yet satisfactory. In line with theses, the demand for qualified personnel in various agricultural fields steadily rises in the labour market. Therefore it was with this gap that Dilla University has launched producing professionals in various agricultural fields.

The school of Agricultural Science was established in 2007 as Faculty of Agriculture and Rural Development with four major programs: Animal and Range Science, Horticulture, Land Resources Management and Plant Science. It was after the BPR reform that the Faculty of Agriculture and Rural Development was transformed into School of Agricultural Science comprising three of the already existing  programs (Animal and Range Science, Horticulture and Plant Science) and one new program (Agricultural Economics). The program of Land Resource Management has been included under the School of Natural Resource and Earth Sciences with the new reform.

RATIONALE OF THE SCHOOL

The Ethiopian government has adopted a new economic policy since 1992 and formulated a long-term economic development strategy, known as Agricultural Development Led Industrialization (ADLI) to transform the centrally controlled economy. More over in 2002 agriculture and rural development has been identified as one of the priority areas needed to be considered in order to achieve sustainable development and poverty reduction. However, the sector is still under developed with under utilization of resources due to lack of qualified professionals in the fields of Animal & Range Sciences, Plant Sciences, Horticulture,  , and Agricultural Economics. The training and deployment of qualified man-power plays a vital role in the promotion of agricultural development. Competent professionals with adequate knowledge of the various agricultural fields are the key elements for successful implementation of any agricultural development program. 

VISION OF THE SCHOOL

The school aspires to be center of academic excellence, integrating training, research and extension/outreach in the aforementioned agricultural fields

MISSION OF THE SCHOOL

The mission of the school is to produce highly qualified skilled manpower in the four major programs namely: Agricultural economics, Animal and Range Sciences, Horticulture and Plant Sciences, through by offering relevant and quality education both in theory and practice. On the other hand the school also intends to provide community services through research and dissemination of relevant research findings to the society.

School Staff Profile