Research Institution
Hawassa University is one of the eight research Universities (among more than 40) In Ethiopia.
Who We Are
Hawassa University (HU) was established in 1976 as a college of Agriculture and the name HU was coined in 200. It has become a full-fledged university, at the turn of the 21st. Century, and the name HU was coined in 2000. Currently HU has two institutes (Technology and Daye), and eight colleges including the College of Agriculture (CoA), Wondo Genet College of Forestry and Natural Resources (WGCF-NR), College of Medicine and Health Sciences (CMHS) scattered across seven campuses. It has a 1630 academic staff and more than 40,000 students, HU is currently running more than 90 undergraduate and around 120 graduate (masters, specialty, and doctoral) programs in different disciplines. HU has signed more than 100 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with various international and national partners. Of these, more than 60 are active collaborative projects.
Our Own Experience
HU is running more than 65 collaborative projects in partnership with 69 international and 112 national (governmental and non-governmental) organizations. The partnerships involve various research and development fields such as agriculture, natural resources management, climate change, human and animal health, and socio-economics among others. These projects are engaged in capacity building, research, technology transfer, and community service. Besides, the projects are playing a role in developing the human and other resources capacity of the University.
Alemayehu Chala
I am an academic staff of Hawassa University with several years of teaching and research experience in crop protection in general and plant pathology in particular. Since 2014, I have been coordinating a project titled « Research and Capacity Building in climate-smart agriculture in the Horn of Africa ». Besides, I have been involved in the following projects in East Africa integrated pest management innovation Lab: Research and Technology Transfer for Vegetable Crops, Toxigenic fungi and associated mycotoxins, Enset bacterial wilt in Ethiopia, Investigation of Aflatoxins in Milk, Cereal Crops, and Local Beverages, and Farmers’ Perception towards Aflatoxins in Wolaita Zone, Southern Ethiopia, and Contributing to wealth creation and food safety to farmers by reducing yield loss and mycotoxin contamination of groundnut in selected Drylands of Ethiopia In the EWA BELT project, I am coordinating the work packages from HU side.
Temesgen Magule
Temesgen Magule is a staff member of Hawassa University. His research activities include the evolution and adaptation of plants, agrobiodiversity, its conservation and use in traditional farming systems, neglected and underutilized species (NUS), and their socio-economic food-feed-fuel values. He is also working on the biological and social adaptive capacity of smallholder farming systems in changing climates.
Shimelis Gizachew
Shimelis G Raji is academic staff at the school of plant and horticultural sciences, College of Agriculture, Hawassa University. He has a strong background in plant science, agronomy, and soil quality analysis. He studied soil quality for his master's at Wageningen University another master's in Agronomy (Copenhagen University) and his terminal degree in soil science. His research interest is in the area of soil science, integrated nutrient management, climate-smart agriculture, and the role of climate-smart practices in adapting to and mitigating climate change and sustainable intensification of agricultural production systems.
He has published articles on biological nitrogen fixation by legumes in small-scale agriculture, greenhouse gas emission from legume intercropping systems in small-scale agriculture, and environmental impacts of using yard waste in agriculture. In the EWA-BELT project, I will be taking part in research and outreach activities in the area of soil conservation and fertility maintenance.
Yonas Birhanu
Yonas Birhanu is currently working as academic staff of Animal Nutrition at the School of Animal sciences, College of Agriculture, Hawassa University. He has a background in plant science, agronomy, and animal production and nutrition. His terminal degree (PhD) in Animal Nutrition is from the Norwegian University of life sciences (NMBU). His research interest is in the area of animal production and nutrition with an emphasis on forage plants, climate-smart agriculture, and sustainable intensification of production systems.
Meseret Tsige
Meseret Tsige is a staff member of the Faculty of Environment, Gender and Development Studies, College of Agriculture, Hawassa University. Meseret is a development, environment, and gender specialist with local and international experiences in academia and development works. Meseret completed her master's in gender studies from Addis Ababa University and her Ph.D. in Environment and Development Studies from the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU). Her research emphasis is the sociology of rural development in general and investigating the links between gender, agriculture, rural livelihoods, and policies in particular.
She has published articles on gendered constraints for adopting climate-smart agriculture, gender relations in accessing production outcomes among climate-smart agricultural technology users, and the implementation status of policies for agriculture-based gendered development.
Alemayehu Getachew
Alemayehu Getachew is an academic staff of Hawassa University. He has an M.Sc. in Plant Pathology and more than 15 years of teaching and research experience in the fields of plant disease, and pest management. His major area of research includes a survey of plant pathogens and mycotoxins, a diversity of toxigenic fungi, and associated mycotoxins. Besides, he is working on the characterization and management of major plant disease-causing agents.
Sisay Buta
Sisay Buta is academic staff of Hawassa University. He has an M.Sc. in Horticulture and more than 10 years of experience as a development agent, researcher, and academician. His major areas of research include characterization, utilization propagation, and preservation of Enset and mushrooms.
Zerihun Yemataw
Zerihun Yemataw is senior researcher at SARI, Hawassa Agricultural Research Center (HARC). He has an M.Sc. in Plant Breeding and Genetics from Hawassa University and a PhD in Applied Genetics from Addis Ababa University. He brings more than 20 years of experience in the fields of plant breeding and genetics, agronomy, and disease and pest management and has published papers on enset diversity and integrated disease management.
ZY has served as a coordinator for the National Enset Research Program and was a PI or co-PI on more than five government and externally funded research projects. Importantly, he has made a significant contribution to community mobilization for the management of Enset Xanthomonas wilt disease in Ethiopia.
Shiferaw Mekonen
Shiferaw Mekonen / SM/ is a senior researcher at SARI, Hawassa Agricultural Research Center (HARC). He has an M.Sc. in Plant Pathology from Hawassa University. He has more than 20 years of research experience in the fields of plant disease, and pest management and has published papers on crops such as hot paper, Irish potato, sweet potato, cassava, inset, etc. Besides He has rich experience in the preparation of guidelines or manuals for integrated disease management to manage diseases and insects. He has made a significant contribution to community mobilization for the management of Enset Xanthomonas wilt disease in Ethiopia.
