Mekelle Agricultural Research Center

General Background (information is not complete)

Establishment of research in Tigray goes back to the 1970s. In 1972 there was severe meteorological and agricultural drought which resulted in crop failure, lack of feed and overall famine as well as death for several people and livestock. To visit the situation and seek possible assistance UN-FAO mission was sent to Northern Ethiopia (Tigray, Wollo, and Eritrea at that time) is 1973. After analyzing the situation the UN-FAO mission recommended establishment of research center in Tigray with possible testing sites in the drier areas of Ethiopia (Wollo, Tigray, Eritrea, Gonder, Godie, Werer… etc). then the then Institute of Agricultural Research (IAR) extended its varietal screening research at Illala-Mekelle as a site for Holeta Research Center.

The UN-FAO Mission came back in early 1974 and assessed what has been done at Illala site and study reports of the Tigray Rural Developmen Study (TRDS) carried out by Hunting. The mission concluded that the northern region needs integrated natural resources management research beyond varietal screening. The mission recommended that UN-UNDP shall provide fund and UN_FAO should solicit scientists in different fields of profession.

With the recommendation of UN-FAO mission Mekelle research center was established in 1974. Up to 1976 multidisciplinary team from FAO (Dry land Farming Agronomist, Soil and Water Conservationist, Ecologist and appropriate implements Engineer) carried out integrated NRM Research and showed excellent start. Unfortunately because of the policy of the military Government at that time they were forced to leave Mekele and the country. the program was transferred to Nazreth Research Center and Mekelle remained merely as political symbol without meaningful activities. Finally, mekele Research Center was abandoned during the fall of the Military Government in 1990.

Mekelle Research Center was again rehabilitated in 1993 and staged with the then IAR-EARO up to 1998. Starting from 1998, following decentralization of research system in to regional Mekelle Research Center was decentralized as an independent region’s research institute. In 1999 Tigray Agricultural Research Institute (TARI) was established through Negarit Gazeta proclsmation No. 36/1999. Since the establishment of TARI, Mekelle Agricultural Research Center became one of the six agro-ecology based research centers under the institute that focused on dry land research activities.