Shewadinber Mekonnen Meskelu

Dean, College of Agriculture and Natural Resource

Background

The College of Agriculture and Natural Resources was initially known as the Department of Agriculture, which was established in 2013 under the Addis Ababa University College of Veterinary Medicine and Agriculture, Selale Campus. Since its establishment, it has been teaching students under the Department of Agriculture for four consecutive years through its regular programs, which include Animal Science, Plant Science, Horticulture, and Agricultural Economics and it graduated students in 2015 and 2016.

However, due to public demand and the government’s desire to expand Universities, the Addis Ababa University College of Veterinary Medicine and Agriculture, Selale Campus, was renamed as Salale University on July 8, 2015. Since then, the University’s organization has been restructured. Consequently, the former Department of Agriculture was transformed into the College of Agriculture, which then encompasses four departments: Animal Science, Plant Science, Horticulture, and Agricultural Economics. At that time, the College began accepting and teaching 130 first-year students, along with 271 existing second- and third-year students, under the name of Selale University since October 2017. The college has since graduated 159 fourth-year students who were enrolled under the name of Addis Ababa University College of Veterinary Medicine and Agriculture, Selale Campus, in 2017.

In 2018, a total of 531 new students were educated in the four existing departments, as well as in the newly opened Natural Resources Management Department at the General Tadesse Buru Campus of Selale University. Additionally, 116 existing students graduated from the Addis Ababa University College of Veterinary Medicine and Agriculture, Selale Campus.

With the opening of the Natural Resources Management Department and considering other programs planned for the future, the college changed its name to the ‘College of Agriculture and Natural Resources’ in June 2018. In 2019, the college opened two additional departments: Water Resources and Irrigation Management, and Rural Development and Agricultural Extension, and admitted new students. That same year, it graduated 111 students from the four existing departments of the College for the first time under the name of Selale University. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic that affected our country and the world, the College graduated 410 students who had not graduated in 2020 from the five existing departments, along with 271 students from the 2021 cohort during the third round of undergraduate programs in 2021. The Department of Water Resources and Irrigation Management graduated students for only one round in 2021 before the program was closed.

In total, including the three departments recently opened in 2022—Forestry, Veterinary Science, and Agricultural Business and Value Chain Management—the College currently offers nine undergraduate programs (nine regular and one weekend) and seven postgraduate programs (weekend and regular) across five departments.

In addition to different farm sites at the main Campus, the College has currently field demonistration and research sites at Kuyu, HidabuAbote, Wachale, and WaraJarso Districts.

The main objectives of the College are delivering quality education in terms of knowledge, skill, and attitude, conducting problem-solving research, and providing demand-based community services.