Because of unimproved traditional farming practices, agricultural productivity being crops or livestock in Amhara Region (Ethiopia) is very low even below that of the average Sub-Saharan Africa. Besides, due to ever increasing population pressure accompanied with exploitative and non-natural-resources-conservation-based farming practices natural resource degradation including land and forest in the region is extremely high and attributes significantly to the decline of agricultural production and productivity in the long run. Using improved technologies with sound natural resource management is the only means of improving the existing agricultural productivity in the region.
To generate appropriate agricultural technologies and natural resource management, and facilitate their dissemination and adoption widely in the region, therefore, Amhara Regional Agricultural Research Institute (ARARI) has been established by Proclamation No. 48 in 2000. Currently the institute has 8 research centers, 5 sub-centers and 41 stations in different main and sub agro-ecologies of the region, and it runs 15 research programs in all agricultural fields including crops, livestock, fishery, forestry, soil & water management, agricultural mechanization, socio-economics and research-extension. For the last few years the institute has generated and recommended hundreds of improved technologies for different agro-ecologies. With proper application of these improved technologies it has been verified that agricultural productivity would be increased 2-6 folds. Indeed, the availability of markets for the surplus products obtained from using improved technologies has been found as the most limiting factor for technology dissemination and adoption by farmers. Thus, our research is not only demand driven and client oriented it is also market oriented. Our ultimate goal is to improve the livelihood of peasantry farmers constituting 90% of the whole population of the region through generation, dissemination and adoption of improved agricultural technologies and sound natural resource management practices.
Structure of the Institute
ARARI is set up with an inistitutional structure that is appropriate to perform its duties. The structure include the following organs: Director General, Deputy Director General, Technical Research Directors, Department, Services, Research Centers, and Sub-Centers. Click here to view the detailed structure.
