WOLLEGA UNIVERSITY, SHAMBU CAMPUS
                                         FACULTY OF AGRICULTURE
                                        DEPARTMENT OF HORTICULTURE
1. BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION
Agriculture contributes approximately over half of the GDP, employs about 85% of the labor force, amounts for about 90% of the foreign exchange earnings, and provides livelihood to over90% of the Ethiopian population. These all shows that agriculture predominant sector to the economy. The country has a suitable climatic and edaphic conditions for the production of various fruits, vegetables, stimulant crops, spices, coffee, medicinal plants, cut flowers, and root and tuber crops. The country’s future development strategy focuses on the efficient and effective mobilization and utilization of agricultural resources. However, the full potential of these crops has not yet been exploited.Read More