A Concept strategic plan for the department of Agricultural and

Resource Economics (DARE)

College of Dryland Agriculture and Natural Resources

Mekelle University

Prepared by:

Tewodros Tadesse (PhD)

February 2017
Contents

Glossary (definition) of terms iv

Executive summary v
1. Introduction: brief background of the department 1
2. Current status of the department 2
3. Core components of the strategic plan 4
3.1 Vision 4
3.2 Mission 4
3.3 Objectives 5
3.4 SWOT analysis 5
3.5 Strategic priorities 8
3.5.1 Delivery of quality education 8
3.5.2 Conducting quality research and efficient dissemination 10
3.5.3 Opening up new academic programs 12
3.5.4 Staff capacity development 14
3.5.5 Networking, partnerships and collaboration 19
3.5.6 Fund raising and mobilization 21
4. Conclusion 22

ii
List of tables

Table 3.1 SWOT analysis 6

Table 3.2 Staff capacity development 14
Table 3.3 Current and recommended specialization of staff members 16

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Glossary (definition) of terms

NREM and DARE: Name of the department is Agricultural and Resource Economics (formerly
known as Natural Resources Economics and Management, NREM). In some
places that make sense, both names are interchangeably referred to.

Short-term period: This period is meant to refer to 5 to 10 years period from 2020-2025 (5 years)
and 2020-2030 (10 years)

Mid-term period: This period is meant to refer to 10 to 20 years period from 2020-2030 (10
years) and 2030-2040 (10 years) [20 years in total]

Planning horizon: the time period until which the different strategic activities are planned to be
implemented or objectives achieved.

SMEs: This refers to small scale and microenterprises.

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Executive summary

This strategic plan of the department of Agricultural and Resource Economics (DARE) is
prepared for the coming 20 years (2020-2040). For this planning horizon, the various specific
plans (activities, outputs and their period of realization) are described from the perspective of
short-term and mid-term periods. This section presents a summary of the strategic priorities and
what the targets at the end of 20 years are like.

Currently, the department trains undergraduate students in two programs–Natural Resources

Economics and Management (NREM) and Agricultural Economics (AgE). While the total
number of students in these programs in different batches is more than 1200, most of the
instructors engaged in knowledge transfer to such students do not have terminal degree, which
shows the existence of room for improved educational quality. The department also hosts two
MSc programs in 1) Agrecology and Sustainable Development (AESD), 2) Agricultural
Economics and Policy and a PhD program in Climate Change and Rural Development (CCRD).
The MSc program in Agrecology and Sustainable Development has trained close to 100 students
in different batches, who are engaged in different offices of Tigray region and other regions in
Ethiopia. The MSc program in Agricultural Economic and Policy has enrolled two batches of
students (around 15 in total) but is yet to graduate students. The PhD program Climate Change
and Rural Development has enrolled several students in different batches and has so far
graduated 1 proper student (and 1 joint-program student). Overall, it can be seen that the
department has currently a small number programs both at undergraduate and postgraduate
levels. In addition, the department has a decent number of highly qualified personnel (those with
terminal degree) at its disposal for the teaching-learning process. The undergraduate program
suffers from a shortage learning materials especially books and teaching materials, which have
negative impact on the educational quality. Most of the staff members have not yet obtained their
terminal degrees, which indicate an opportunity for improved capacity and improved quality of
educations. The number of research outputs (such as publications other outputs) is limited in the
department as there is limited opportunity (resources) for research though improving through
time.

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It is for the purpose of improving the quality of education, research and knowledge transfer and
capacity building that this concept strategic plan is being proposed. One of the strategic priorities
is improving educational quality at all levels and developing and building capacity for this
purpose. Another strategic priority is related to conducting good-quality research and developing
the capacity for high-quality research plus creating and strengthening dissemination mechanisms.
A third important strategic priority is expanding programs at all levels, especially postgraduate
level by opening up new MSc and PhD programs and building capacity of staff members who
are going to be key resource persons for these programs. A fourth strategic priority is creating
the platforms for sustainable funding through raising funds from grants and mobilizing them for
the purpose of capacity development and promoting educational quality.

For improving the quality of education, it would be imperative to create conducive teaching-
learning environment by improving and furnishing class rooms with the necessary teaching-
learning infrastructure. In addition, integrating ICT and strengthening its use will be pivotal for
facilitating effective knowledge transfer in the teaching-learning process. Moreover, there would
be a need to exploit the ‘stock of knowledge’ vested in senior staff members for improved
knowledge transfer by mobilizing them to be used as resource persons in the undergraduate
programs. Equally important, there is a need to significantly increase access to learning materials
such as books, articles, theses and other relevant materials for better learning. As a result, it is
intended to develop, strengthen and maintain online-learning platforms for all MSc and PhD
courses in the short-term period (by 2030). Moreover, smart classes for all MSc and PhD
students will be created in this short-term period. In addition, undergraduate students’ access to
learning books will increase by 40% in the short-term period. Lastly, PhD-holding staff
members’ participation in the undergraduate teaching-learning process will increase by 25% in
the short-term period and by 50% in the mid-term period (by 2040).

Improving the quality of research and developing the capacity for conducting high quality
research is another strategic priority. The first important element of this priority is building
research capacity of staff members through MSc and PhD studies. Tailor-made training is also
planned to be provided to staff, students and other stakeholders to augment research
methodology capacities. Further, creating opportunities and raising funds for research is another

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important aspect of this strategic priority. In addition, creating the mechanisms to enable students
and staff alike to have access to scientific journals is indispensable for conducting high quality
research. In addition, creating, regularly maintaining and supporting research output
dissemination outlets such as seminars, conferences, etc. is another key aspect of this strategic
priority. In effect, it is planned to create research support opportunities amounting, each, to Birr
100,000 for 5 junior staff in the short-term period and for 15 junior staff in the mid-term period.
This will help contribute to the development of the research capacity of junior staff members. In
addition, it is planned to increase access to scientific journal publishers (for articles) to 2
(different publishers) in the short-term period and 5 (different publishers) in the mid-term period.
Further, the department will organize bi-annual (2 times in a year) research capability training
for Agricultural and Resource Economics in the short-term and mid-term periods. More
importantly, it is planned to organize a bi-weekly (once in two weeks) regular department level
seminar for knowledge sharing and research output dissemination in the short-term and mid-term
periods. For PhD students, it is planned to organize an annual (once a year) PhD Seminar for
knowledge sharing and research output dissemination in the short-term and mid-term periods. In
addition, it is planned to increase the number of conference participation support both to staff
and students to 10 opportunities both in the short-term and mid-term periods.

A key input for realizing the strategic plan is staff capacity development. As a strategic priority,
it is planned to upgrade the educational level of staff members to MSc and PhD levels. In
addition, focus will be given in admitting staff members to existing or new PhD program hosted
within the department. It is also planned to allow and lobby for staff members who find capacity
development scholarships by themselves abroad so that they return and help contribute to the
strategic plan. In addition, it is planned to create and strengthen networks with academic and
research institutions for capacity development of staff members. In this regard, the number of
PhD holders is planned to be increased from 8 to 18 (by 125%) in the short-term period (by
2030) and 33 (by circa 300%) in the mid-term period (by 2040). Further, to balance the gender
distribution of staff members, the share of female MSc staff members is planned to be increased
from the current 9% to 30% in the short-term period. Similarly, the number of female PhD staff
members is planned to be increased from the current 0 to 5 in the mid-term period (by 2040). In
the end, it is planned to upgrade the academic degree of all staff members (100%) to at least MSc

vii
degree in the mid-term period, in the coming 10-20 years (by 2040). All these staff members will
upgrade their educational level further even after the planning horizon.

Another strategic priority is the opening up of especially postgraduate programs to contribute to

Mekelle University’s goal of becoming a center of excellence and Research University. In this
regard, it is planned to open up new MSc and PhD programs. In the short-term period, the
department plans to open two more MSc programs in 1) Environmental and Resource Economics
2) Food Economics and Policy 3) Land Economics and 4) Forest Economics, which would
increase the number of MSc programs by 200% (by 2025). Within the short term period, more
MSc programs in 1) Energy Economics, 2) Agricultural Marketing and 3) Agribusiness will also
be opened in the short-term period (by 2030). Moreover, PhD programs in 1) Agricultural
Economics and Policy, 2) Food Economics and Policy and 3) Resource and Environmental
Economics will be opened in the short-term period (by 2025), which is an increase by 300%.

An integral part of the strategic plan is the development and strengthening of networks and
partnerships. This is going to be established and maintained with like-minded educational
centers, research institutes, agricultural development and natural resources management
government offices, policy-making bodies and the private sector including SMEs and relevant
industries for the purpose of improving educational quality, capacity development and joint
academic and research activities. In the process, it is planned to establish 5 partnerships with
educational centers all the way to the mid-term period (2040). It is also planned to produce up to
5 annual policy briefs of research outputs by this period. Side by side, strong partnerships are
planned with 4 government bodies working in agricultural economics and policy, food
economics and policy, and natural resource economics and management, climate change, rural
development, etc. for better planning and dissemination of research in the mid-term period. It is
also planned to establish 2 partnerships with the private sector for tailor-made training and
mutual experience sharing and apparentship programs in the short-term period.

Developing a strategy for fund raising and mobilization is another key aspect of the strategic
plan. It helps develop implementation capability of the department by generating additional
(non-budgeted) funding from national and international sources. To develop this implementation

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capacity, profiling of grant opportunities and mobilizing resources for writing grant proposals,
profiling of training calls and mobilizing resources to compete for such training calls and
strengthening networks and partnerships for potential funding support will be carried out. In this
regard, identification and preparation of 2 annual grant proposals all the way to the mid-term
period (by 2040). It is also planned to profile and compete for 2 annual training calls in the short-
term period.

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1. Introduction: brief background of the department

Ethiopia’s economy still depends largely on agriculture. Sound agricultural harvests in a given
fiscal year boost overall economic performance. On the other hand, agricultural dependence is so
significant that when agricultural harvests fail, the economy suffers as much. Agricultural
practices in Ethiopia are also natural resource dependent. This coupled with natural and
environmental hazards (such as climate change), managing and promoting a balance between
natural resources use, environmental quality and the improvement of livelihoods is pivotal to
Ethiopia’s sustainable development.

Ensuring sustainable agricultural production while keeping environmental safety (or sustainable
natural or man-made resources use) can be ensured only by mobilizing well-trained manpower
both for policy development and implementation of sustainable agricultural practices and natural
resources (environmental) management. The stock of knowledge and the pool of trained
manpower for such ambitions however are limited. It is for contributing to the development of
skilled manpower in resources economics and management that the department of Natural
Resources Economics (NREM) was established in the first place in Mekelle University.

The department of Natural Resource Economics and Management (NREM) in Mekelle

University was launched in 2003 encompassing one BSc program. Under the new curricula
declared by the Ministry of education, the NREM program has been a 3-year BSc program. It has
been enrolling students coming from natural sciences background. Over the years since 2003, the
department trained more than 1200 students under the NREM BSc program. The department
began with a pool of only 4 permanent staff members. Over the years however, staff size has
grown to over 40. Staff size however has been continually changing as a result of the high
turnover. For a long time since its commencement, the department had only undergraduate
program until recently. In this decade however, the department rolled out one more
undergraduate (Agricultural Economics), two MSc (Agricultural Economics and Policy, and
Agroecology and Sustainable Development) and one PhD (Climate Change and Rural
Development) programs. In the last decade, the department has been granting leave of absence
and investing resources for the career (academic degree) development of its staff members

1
through MSc and PhD studies. In effect, a number of its members or former members obtained
their PhD while several members earned their MSc.
In the last 15 years, the department has made some contributions to the pool of trained
manpower in the economics and management of natural resources and agricultural economics. In
addition, the department has at graduate level made some good contribution to the training of
mid-career civil servants of many private and public offices in Tigray (including colleges,
TVETs, research institutes, NGOs, public agricultural, natural resources and water management
offices, etc.) for the better management of natural resources through its MSc program in
Agroecology and Sustainable Development. These however are not the limits of the department.
There are several strategic activities (chief among which, diverse and strong research and
education) the department can and should promote. In this regard, the department is committed
to build on its rather small achievements by increasing the rigors of its teaching programs
(expansion of new programs), promoting and conducting cutting edge research on broadened
themes, raising and mobilizing funding for capacity building and research and improving the
overall efficiency and effectiveness of its operations. It is from this perspective that this concept
strategic plan is prepared for.

2. Current status of the department

Currently, the department offers both undergraduate and graduate level programs. In the
undergraduate program, the department enrolls students under two programs–Natural Resource
Economics and Management (NREM) and Agricultural Economics (AgE). While the Natural
Resource Economics and Management (NREM) program has been training students since 2003,
the Agricultural Economics (AgE) only started in 2015. Under the postgraduate program, there
are two MSc programs in 1) Agroecology and Sustainable Development (AESD); 2) Agricultural
Economics and Policy and one PhD program in Climate Change and Rural Development
(CCRD). The MSc program in Agroecology and Sustainable Development was launched in 2010
and has so far trained more than 100 students. The MSc program in Agricultural Economics and
Policy was launched in 2018 and has so far enrolled two batches of students. It is yet to graduate
students. The PhD program in Climate Change and Rural Development was launched in 2012
and has so far enrolled more than 20 students under different batches. One student under this

2
program has defended his thesis while another student also defended his thesis in a joint program
with Tilburg University.

Human resources represent one key asset of the department. Currently, there are more than 40
usable members (staff on duty and staff on study leave but with high probability of returning
once they complete their studies). Of these, 8 (18%) have terminal degree (PhD). However, only
2 (5%) of the staff members are associate professors. Three (3) members of the department are
currently doing their PhD, which will be helpful to the department’s cause once they finish their
studies. Further, 14 (32%) of the on-duty staff members of the department are at assistant
professorship level, a comparable average to what is observed in other sister departments. There
is no an associate professor (nor a full professor) in the department. Moreover 38% of the staff
members have the rank of Lecturer. The department also has some staff members who went
abroad for MSc study whom it will need to reinstate back when they likely come back. The rest
of the on-duty members are young graduate assistants who are expected to be the backbone of
the future endeavors of the department. For current and near future operations however, it can be
seen that the department has a decent but growing number of staff members who are highly
qualified. With the goals the strategic plan is planning to achieve, it calls for the need for many
of the staff members to upgrade their ranks to terminal degree and associate professorship (or,
higher) levels who will be required to implement most of the proposed activities in the concept
strategic plan. In addition, the department is profiling and recruiting new members based on rules
and regulations of the university. The recruitment of highly qualified scholars however has
proven to be very difficult.

It appears that there is no a transparent process about the management and use of the financial
resources of the department. The department does not know how much financial resources it has.
The sources of finance are not clear either, except for the university ration and project
contributions. Even then, the available funding given from the university is limited. Although not
exactly known, projects hosted in the department also release some funding by way of overhead
costs. This however is not known either. There is an annual research support for the department,
not earmarked specifically for the department but as part of the college-level support where the
department often gets on average two (2) competitive small-scale project grants. Even then, this

3
is very limited as well. Funding profiling and mobilization is very limited in the department
except for a few project grants brought by senior staff members. Even for the limited funds that
the department has, it appears the department does not have decision-making power and rights
on the use of its finance. Overall, the department has limited finance by which it can implement
different kinds of activities for the realization of a strategic plan.

3. Core components of the strategic plan

Under this section, a general overview of the strategic plan is presented. As key elements of a
strategic plan, the vision, mission and core objectives together with goals of the department are
presented. Moreover, SWOT analysis is presented outlining the strengths, weaknesses,
opportunities and threats. In the end, core activities that are intended to realize the strategic
objectives are discussed.

3.1 Vision

The department aspires to become a recognized department (group) both in undergraduate and
graduate education and research in agricultural, food, resources and environmental economics
thereby contributing to Mekelle University’s goal of becoming a center of excellence.

3.2 Mission

In support of the department itself, its students and staff and the overall university community,
the department’s mission is
In terms of education: to promote, enhance and advance knowledge development and transfer
through standard-quality undergraduate and graduate education
In terms of research: to promote and advance new knowledge development, transfer and
dissemination through standard-quality research

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3.3 Objectives

The core strategic objectives that the department aims to achieve over the planning horizon
include the following:

 To provide quality and innovative education at BSc, MSc and PhD levels to meet the
needs of students, department, university in particular and the market and economy at
large
 To improve the stock of knowledge by developing curriculum and opening new programs
at BSc, MSc and PhD levels for promoting scientific research that help contribute to
Mekelle University’s mission of becoming a center of excellence
 To develop the capacity of staff members at MSc and PhD levels who are going to be
resources persons for the different academic programs and carry out scientific research
 To create and strengthen academic and research networks and partnerships that are going
to contribute to academic and research capacity development of the staff members of
department and the university
 To encourage and facilitate the development of distinctive academic programs by
individual staff members at graduate level

3.4 SWOT analysis

Here in this subsection, strengths and weaknesses of the department and opportunities and threats
to the department’s ambition to develop its human resources and retain them as well, expand its
programs (both at undergraduate and graduate levels) and improve its academic and research
activities (both in terms of quality and quantity) are stated. The strengths and weaknesses
emanate from factors internal to the department of Agricultural and Resource Economics while
the opportunities and threats emanate from factors external to the department.

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Table 3.1 SWOT analysis

Factors Strengths Weaknesses

 Conducive working conditions in terms
of academic freedom
 A good number of permanent staff
members upgrading their academic and
research capabilities (growing capacity at
all levels)
 Good academic profile of current
permanent staff members
 Diverse cultural, personal and gender
Internal
aspects of staff members
factors
 Enthusiastic (motivated) and committed
staff members
 Strong interest among first year students
to join the department (strong appeal for
students)
 Good working relationship with sister
departments
 Peaceful working environment
Opportunities
 Strong demand for existing and planned
academic programs
 Strong political and policy support for
promoting education and research
External
advanced levels
factors
 Good academic support from sister
departments in the college for teaching,
research supervision, technical support
and counseling
 Limited research budget
 Limited budget for other activities
(such as seminars, training, etc.)
 Not enough staff members with
terminal degree
 Shortage of staff members at associate
and full professorship levels
 Severe shortage of academic resources
(smart classes, projectors, printers,
offices, markers, field cars, etc.)
 Difficulty for the department to
mobilize its financial resources for
investment for the department’s cause
(such as curriculum review, training,
seminar, etc.)
 Weak practical (field) implementation
for many courses
 Insufficient staff composition by
gender (a few female staff members)
Threats
 Competition for permanent and senior
staff from other potential employers
 Staff turnover and and increasing
number of staff members failing to
come back to the department
 Challenging job opportunities for
NREM graduates
 Insufficient overall pay scale that
reflect current living costs

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 Good institutional support from
university and college to open up new
programs
 Improving research support from
University both to junior and senior staff
members
 Improving ICT support for teaching and
learning
 Alumni association establishment for
support and counsel in the department’s
efforts to achieve excellence
 Development of collaborative networks
and partnerships both with private and
public national or international entities
for capacity building and research
 Flourishing new programs to attract
scholars, students and funding
 Development and promotion of student
focused online classes for better teaching
and learning
 Good opportunities for creating networks
and partnerships with national and
international academic and research
institutions
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 Insufficient incentives for staff
members who provide research
support, counseling, evaluation (such
as supervision and examination)
 No official commission payment for
staff members who win grants
 Weak transport support for field
courses
 Difficulty to recruit highly qualified
academicians
 Bureaucratic bottlenecks in the
purchase and procurement system
 Strong competition for programs from
other institutions the department is
planning to open
3.5 Strategic priorities

3.5.1 Delivery of quality education

Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics in particular and Mekelle University in

general are educational centers. The most important task the department (and the university) is
entrusted with is the transfer of knowledge through teaching–and–learning process to students at
different levels. At the center of this teaching-learning process lies the quality of knowledge
being transferred to students. Ensuring this transfer of quality knowledge is key to the
development of human resources not only to the workforce of country but also that of the
department and the university.

Currently however, the delivery of quality education to students at different levels is not
adequate. There are a lot of factors that make the delivery of quality education to students
inadequate. Some of them include inadequate highly qualified instructors, inadequate teaching-
learning infrastructure (such as smart class rooms, field cars, offices, computers and printers,
etc.), poor commitment among some instructors, poor incentives for maintaining highly qualified
current staff (high turnover), limited access to and availability of learning materials (such as
books, journals, etc.). In order to ensure teaching–and–learning process therefore, tailor-made
adjustments and improvements will have to be made to all of the aforementioned factors. In this
regard, the following core components as part of the strategic priority to ensure quality education
are proposed.

Objectives:

 Improve the quality of education at BSc, MSc and PhD programs

 Exploit the opportunities presented by ICT to facilitate quality knowledge transfer
 Improve the teaching-learning environment for effective implementation of educational
programs

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Specific activities:

In order to improve the quality of education and improve the teaching-learning process, the
following activities will be carried out.
 Create a conducive teaching-learning environment by improving and furnishing class
rooms with the necessary teaching-learning infrastructure (i.e., promote smart classes)
 Facilitate effective knowledge transfer by integrating ICT and strengthen its use for the
teaching-learning to students at all levels
 Exploit the ‘stock of knowledge’ vested in senior (with terminal degree) staff members
for improved knowledge transfer by mobilizing them to be used as resource persons in
the undergraduate programs
 Enhance access to students at all levels by to essential learning materials such as books,
journals (articles), theses, seminars and conferences and other relevant
materials/platforms for better learning and hence quality education

Measures of output:

 Create smart classes for all (100%) MSc and PhD students in the short-term period, in the
coming 5-10 years (by 2030)
 Develop, strengthen and maintain online-learning platforms for MSc and PhD courses in
the short-term period, in the coming 5-10 years (by 2030)
 Develop, strengthen and maintain full online-learning platforms for all, BSc, MSc and
PhD courses in the mid-term period, in the coming 10-20 years (by 2040)
 Increase undergraduate students’ access to learning books by 40% in the short-term
period, in the coming 5-10 years (by 2030)
 Increase staff members’ with terminal degree participation in the undergraduate teaching-
learning process by 50% in the short-term period, in the coming 5-10 years (by 2030)
 Increase staff members’ with terminal degree participation in the undergraduate teaching-
learning process by 70% in the mid-term period, in the coming 10-20 years (by 2040)

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3.5.2 Conducting quality research and efficient dissemination

Implementing knowledge transfer and ensuring educational quality through teaching-learning

process is one key strategic priority. However, conducting research, especially at MSc and PhD
levels and disseminating the results through various outlets is an equally important strategic
priority. It is imperative that DARE develops a strong research capability and creates conducive
environment for promoting research if it intends to sustain itself; and empower and benefit its
staff members and the university at large.

At the moment however, there are limited opportunities (highly inadequate resources) for
research. The department cannot mobilize its meager resources for the purpose of promoting
research. Of the limited number of researches that are being carried out, many are not properly
disseminated to the relevant stakeholders. The research output or quality is not something that
may be considered strong. Publications produced by the departments’ staff are prone to predatory
publishers. In order to realize the strategic objective in this regard, all these have to change for
good. There shall be reasonable opportunities for research. Capacity for research shall be
developed. There need to be also a good dissemination plan for research outputs of the
department.

Objectives:

 Improve the quality of research carried out by staff, students (MSc and PhD) and other
relevant stakeholders affiliate to the department
 Improve (significantly) the capacity for research at all levels, BSc, MSc and PhD
programs
 Create and improve opportunities (funding, articles, etc.) for research at all levels
 Develop, strengthen and improve the dissemination process for research outputs of the
department via scientific publications, working papers, policy briefs, posters, manuals
and guidelines, short communications, brochures, seminars, workshops and conferences,
etc.

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  Develop and sustain in-house research output dissemination outlets including seminars,
working papers, forums, etc.
 Develop and strengthen networks and partnerships for creating research capacity,
especially for staff, MSc and PhD students

Specific activities:

In order to improve scientific and standard-quality research, dissemination and use, the following
activities will be carried out.
 Build research capacity of staff members through MSc and PhD studies
 Establish and sustain a regular seminar (both for staff and students, especially PhD
students) for improved communication of research results (thereby develop capacity for
communication), knowledge sharing and dissemination of research outputs
 Conduct regular training in research (research methodology) capacity development
for/among staff and students alike
 Create opportunities for access to journals for research and academic purposes for staff
and students alike
 Mobilize resources for staff and students alike to participate and share their research
output in national and international conferences
 Conduct scientific research of standard-quality for publication, especially by mid-level
and senior staff and PhD students
 Develop the capacity for developing grant proposals and collaborative research with
partners

Measures of output:

 Create small-scale research support opportunities amounting, each, to Birr 100,000

annually for 5 junior staff in the short-term period, in the coming 5-10 years (by 2030)
 Create small-scale research support opportunities amounting, each, to Birr 100,000 for 15
junior staff in the mid-term period, in the coming 10-20 years (by 2040)

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  Increase access to scientific journals and publishers (for accessing articles) to 2 (different
publishers) in the short-term period, in the coming 5-10 years (by 2030)
 Increase access to scientific journal publishers (for articles) to 5 (different publishers) in
the mid-term period, in the coming 10-20 years (by 2040)
 Conduct biannual (2 times in a year) research capability training for agricultural and
resource economics, natural resources economics, food economics, etc. in the short-term
period, in the coming 5-10 years (by 2030)
 Conduct a monthly department level seminar for knowledge sharing and research output
dissemination, in the coming 5-10 years (by 2030) and forth
 Organize an annual (once a year) PhD Seminar for PhD students of different programs
for knowledge sharing and research output dissemination, in the coming 5-10 years (by
2030) and forth
 Increase the number of conference participation support both to staff and students to 10
opportunities in the short-term period, in the coming 5-10 years (by 2030)
 Increase the number of publications by staff members in reputable journals annually by
20% all the way to the mid-term period (2040)
 Increase the number of publications by PhD students in reputable journals annually by
20% all the way to the mid-term period (2040)
 Increase the number of medium and large-scale grant awards (national and international)
to 10 in short-term period, in the coming 5-10 years (by 2030)

3.5.3 Opening up new academic programs

Mekelle University has over the period developed recommendable experience in teaching and
research. These represent relative demonstrations to meeting its aspirations to realize research
excellence in several areas. In this regard, it is not the university per se that is going to contribute
to the realizations of the big goals but the departments and the academic community within these
departments. As a result, the department of Agricultural and Resource Economics has been
working to contribute to this end by opening up new programs. Yet, the department needs to
further develop more warranted and recognized programs for the purpose of building research
capacity and conducting high quality research and contribute to academic excellence. This will

12
further the department’s goal of creating a culture of research excellence across its academic
programs and departments. In this regard, opening up new programs (both at undergraduate and
graduate levels) to increase appeal and thereby raise national and international visibility of the
department, its programs and graduates is one core strategic priority. To this end, the following
components are proposed.

Objectives:

 Take leadership in designing, (or adapting), developing and fast-tracking new

postgraduate (MSc and PhD) programs to promote scientific and problem-solving
research
 Mobilize resources to develop curriculum and open up new and relevant undergraduate
programs
 Support initiatives by staff members that intend to promote the development of new
individual or joint academic programs

Specific activities:

In an effort to realize the aforementioned objectives, the following activities will be carried out.
 Open up new MSc programs in Environmental and Resource Economics, Food
Economics and Policy, Land Economics, Forest Economics, Energy Economics,
Agricultural Marketing and Agribusiness; and enroll and graduates students in these
programs
 Open new PhD programs in Agricultural Economics, Environmental and Resource
Economics and Food Economics and Policy
 Open a Bachelor of Science program in Energy Economics, Land Economics and
Environmental Economics

13
Measures of output:

 Increase the number of MSc programs hosted in the department from 2 to 6 (an increase
by 200%) in the short-term period, in the coming 5-10 years (by 2030)
 Increase the number of PhD programs hosted in the department from 1 to 3 (an increase
by 200%) in the short-term period, in the coming 5-10 years (by 2030)
 Increase the number of bachelor of science programs hosted in the department from 2 to
5 (an increase by 150%) in the short-term period, in the coming 5-10 years (by 2030)

3.5.4 Staff capacity development

The staff development plan describes the size and composition of staff members of the
department both in terms of degree qualification and gender. In terms of scientific requirement,
the department needs to develop its scientific base by recruiting new and maintaining current
staff members who are going to be pivotal for the realization of the strategic plan. In addition,
gender-equity in terms of staff composition is necessary so as to ensure sustainable research and
education environment in the department. The staff development plan described below is the
stage the department aspires to reach in the short and mid-term planning periods.

Objectives:

 Prepare the opportunity and mobilize resources to develop the capacity of staff members
to upgrade their education to MSc and PhD degrees so as to become key resources
persons
 Support individual initiatives by staff members to upgrade their education that intend to
promote the development of new individual or joint academic programs
 Establish networks with national and international universities and research centers for
building capacity of staff members
 Develop grant proposals for developing the capacity of staff members at different levels

14
Specific activities:

In an effort to realize the capacity development objectives, the following activities will be carried
out.
 Train staff members at MSc and PhD levels in the prioritized field of specialization (see
below in the plan)
 Allow and lobby to the college for staff members who find individual scholarships to
train at MSc and PhD levels abroad and come back to the department
 Facilitate the admission of staff members into existing or new programs for capacity
development at MSc and PhD levels
 Create and strengthen networks with academic and research institutions for capacity
development of staff members

15
Table 3.2 Staff capacity development

Short-term period Mid-term period

Current (2020)
(2020–2030) (2020–2040)
№ Type of profession
BSc MSc PhD BSc MSc PhD BSc MSc PhD
M F M F M F M F M F M F M F M F M F
1 Environmental and Natural 4 4 13 1 2 0 5 5 2 2 6 2 0 0 3 3 10 3
Resources Economics
2 Agricultural Economics and Policy 4 2 3 1 4 0 2 2 2 2 2 1 0 0 2 2 4 3
3 Development Economics & Policy 0 0 3 0 1 0 0 0 2 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 2 1
4 Economics/Economic Policy 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
5 Energy Economics and Policy 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 2 1
6 Climate Economics and Policy 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 2 1 0 0 1 1 3 1
7 Food and Health Economics 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 1 1 2 1
8 Econometrics 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0
Total 8 6 20 2 8 0 9 8 13 9 13 5 2 2 11 9 23 10

 The plan includes not only for current staff but also for future recruitments at all levels.
 Numbers indicate the number of staff members that are planned to earn a given academic degree for different current and future
specializations

14
Measures of output:

 Increase the number of PhD holders from 8 to 18 (by 125%) in the short-term period, in
the coming 5-10 years (by 2030)
 Increase the number of PhD holders from 8 to 33 (by circa 300%) in the mid-term period,
in the coming 10-20 years (by 2040)
 Increase the share of female MSc staff members from the current 4 (9%) to 9 (16%) in
the short-term period, in the coming 5-10 (by 2030)
 Increase the number of female PhD staff members from 0 to 5 (by 500%) in the short-
term period, in the coming 5-10 (by 2030)
 Increase the number of female PhD staff members from 0 to 10 (by 1000%) in the mid-
term period, in the coming 10-20 years (by 2040)
 Upgrade academic degree of over 90% of the staff members to at least MSc degree in the
mid-term period, in the coming 10-20 years (by 2040). All these staff members will
upgrade their educational level further even after the planning horizon
 Increase the enrollment of staff members into existing or new PhD programs of the
department by 25% in the mid-term period, in the coming 10-20 years (by 2040).
 Increase the enrollment of staff members into existing or new MSc programs of the
department by 50% in the mid-term period, in the coming 10-20 years (by 2040)
 Create 2-3 networks with academic institutions throughout the world for research
collaboration and capacity development in the short-term period, in the coming 5-10
years (by 2030)
 Create 1-2 networks with international research organizations for developing research
capacity of the department (staff members) in the short-term period, in the coming 5-10
years (by 2030)

15
 Table 3.3 Current and recommended specialization of staff members

Recommendation: MSc or Period

Name of staff Academi
№ Specialty/Profession PhD, associate
member c degree Short-term Mid-term
professorship
1 Girmay Tesfay PhD Development Economics and – –

Policy
2 Tewodros Tadesse PhD Agricultural and – – –
Development Economics
3 Muuz Mulugeta PhD Agricultural Economics –  –
4 Zenebe Abraha PhD Agricultural Economics –  –
5 Woldegebrial Zewold PhD Agricultural Economics and – –
–
Policy
6 Melaku Berhe PhD Climate Change Economics –  –
7 Dawit Gebregziabher PhD Forest Economics/Natural – –

Resource Economics
8 Nigusse Abadi PhD Forest Economics/Natural – –

Resource Economics
9 Gebreselassie Hailu PhD Natural Resources Economics Resources (Environmental)

student Economics
10 Girmay Kahsay PhD Economic Policy Natural Resource Economics

student
11 Bereket Gebremedhin PhD Economic Policy Climate Change Economics

student
12 Assefa Hdgot MSc Environmental Economics Environmental Economics,

Energy Economics
13 Ataklti Techane MSc Agricultural Economics Agricultural (Development)

Economics
14 Gidey Kidu MSc Environmental Economics Environmental Economics 
15 Leake Gebreselassie MSc Agricultural Economics Agricultural Economics 
16 Sehin Kinfu MSc Natural Resources Economics Resources (Environmental

Economics)
17 Hareg Hebregziabher MSc Agricultural Economics Agricultural Economics 

16
18 Ataklti Hailu MSc Economics Agricultural (Development)

Economics
19 Metkel Aregay MSc Environmental Economics Environmental Economics 
20 Teklay Negash MSc Development Economics Development Economics 
21 Haftu Etsay MSc Natural Resource Natural Resource

Management (Environmental) Economics
22 Haileselassie G/her MSc Natural Resources Economics Natural Resource

and Management (Environmental) Economics
23 Gebrehiwot MSc Natural Resources Economics Natural Resource

Gebreselassie and Management (Environmental) Economics
24 Gebremedhin Abraha MSc Natural Resources Economics Natural Resource

and Management (Environmental) Economics
25 Serkalem Dejenie MSc Natural Resources Economics Natural Resource

and Management (Environmental) Economics
26 Senait Nigussie MSc Natural Resources Economics Natural Resource

and Management (Environmental) Economics
27 Alemayohu Gonosa MSc Natural Resources Economics Natural Resource

and Management (Environmental) Economics
28 Tadesse Aragaw MSc Natural Resources Economics Natural Resource

and Management (Environmental) Economics
29 Meresaw Kassa MSc Natural Resources Economics Natural Resource

and Management (Environmental) Economics
30 Belets Gebremicael MSc Agricultural Economics Agricultural

Economics/Food Economics
31 Abenet Niguse MSc Natural Resources and Natural Resource

Environmental Economics (Environmental) Economics
31 Haile Tewele Berhe MSc Natural Resources and Natural Resource

Environmental Economics (Environmental) Economics
32 Mebrahtu Brhan MSc Natural Resources and Natural Resource

Environmental Economics (Environmental) Economics
33 Azeb G/her BSc Agricultural Economics Agricultural

Economics/Food Economics
34 Guesh Idrias Haile BSc Natural Resources Economics Natural Resource 

17
 and Management (Environmental) Economics
35 Mandefro Tesfaye BSc Agricultural Economics Agricultural

Economics/Food Economics
36 Mohammed Hassen BSc Agricultural Economics Agricultural

Economics/Food Economics
37 Zewil Machin Amare BSc Natural Resources Economics Natural Resource

and Management (Environmental) Economics
38 G/Madihn Mamoy BSc Natural Resources Economics Natural Resource

and Management (Environmental) Economics
39 Hagos G/Medihn BSc Agricultural Economics Agricultural

Economics/Food Economics
40 Abrhaley Redae BSc Natural Resources Economics Natural Resource

and Management (Environmental) Economics
41 Abrhaley Gebrehiwet BSc Natural Resources Economics Natural Resource

and Management (Environmental) Economics
42 Meselu Mebrahtu BSc Natural Resources Economics Natural Resource

and Management (Environmental) Economics
43 Kisanet Abrha BSc Agricultural Economics Agricultural

Economics/Food Economics
44 Kibrom Kidane BSc Agricultural Economics Agricultural

Economics/Food Economics

18
3.5.5 Networking, partnerships and collaboration

For the purpose of capacity building, experience sharing, mutual learning, fund raising and
raising visibility of the department, networking, partnership building and collaboration in
research and teaching-learning process is very important. In this regard, the department plans to
work on creating and developing current and future networking and collaboration with academic
and research institutions. In addition, the department plans to collaborate with non-academic
organizations and policy making bodies for promoting common purposes.

Through networking, partnerships and collaborations involving students, staff and relevant
stakeholders, the department intends to create, develop, strengthen and maintain learning
environments that nurture common interests, building capacity and promote scientific excellence
in agricultural, food and resource (environmental) economics. Among the stakeholders that the
department intends to develop and strengthen networks, partnership and collaboration with
include, among others, educational centers, research institutes, agricultural and rural
development offices, natural resources management offices, policy making centers and the
private sector including small-scale enterprises and relevant industries.

Objectives:

 Create, develop and nurture networks, collaboration and partnerships with educational
and research centers for the purpose of mutual learning through capacity building and
experience sharing
 Create, develop and nurture networks, collaboration and partnerships with policy-making
government bodies to design, promote and implement effective agricultural, food and
resource (environmental) economics policies
 Develop and strengthen collaborations and partnerships with the private sector for
research, research output uptake and dissemination and capacity building and training

19
Specific activities:

In order to create and develop networks and partnership, the following activities will be carried
out.
 Identify and contact relevant educational and research centers and create and strengthen
network to engage them in teaching, research and training
 Prepare and share policy briefs
 Develop mechanisms to generate knowledge, skills and technology development and
dissemination in collaboration with the private sector, government bodies and research
centers
 Create and strengthen networks with academic and research institutions for capacity
development of staff members
 Develop joint academic programs and teaching

Measures of output:

 Indentify and create 2 partnerships with like-minded educational centers for teaching and
learning in the short-term period, in the coming 5-10 years (by 2030)
 Create and strengthen partnerships with 5 like-minded educational centers for teaching
and learning in the mid-term period, in the coming 10-20 years (by 2040)
 Prepare 2 annual briefs for food, resource or agricultural economic research outputs in the
short-term period, in the coming 5-10 years (by 2030)
 Prepare 5 annual briefs for food, resource or agricultural economic research outputs in the
mid-term period, in the coming 10-20 years (by 2040)
 Indentify and create 2 partnerships with the private sector for tailor-made training in the
short-term period, in the coming 5-10 years (by 2030)
 Create and strengthen partnerships with 4 government bodies working in food,
agricultural and natural resource management and economics for better planning and
dissemination of research in the mid-term period, in the coming 10-20 years (by 2040)

20
3.5.6 Fund raising and mobilization

As a public university, Mekelle University is funded from public coffers. For regular programs
and activities, there is regular annual budget allocated from the university to each department in
the university. Often however, the budget support from the university is not sufficient for both
budgeted and unbudgeted activities. It is often the case therefore that departments need to look
for alternative sources of funding. While university budget support from the government is
increasing from time to time, we may come to appoint where the university would be required to
raise its own finance. In this regard, developing a strategy for fund raising is often an integral
part of a strategic plan.

Objectives:

 Develop implementation capability of the department by raising additional (non-

budgeted) funding from national and international sources

Specific activities:

For the purpose of raising additional funding, the following activities will be carried out.
 Profiling of grant opportunities and mobilizing resources for writing grant proposals
 Profiling of training calls and mobilize resources to compete for such training calls
 Strengthen ties with networks and partners for potential funding support

Measures of output:

 Indentify and write 2 grant proposals annually in the mid-term period, in the coming 10-
20 years (by 2040)
 Profile and provide 2 trainings annually in the short-term period, in the coming 5-10
years (by 2030)

21
4. Conclusion

Since 2003, the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics (formerly NREM)
developed some capacity for the implementation of existing programs. Over the years however,
the department has not been active in expanding its academic programs. Given the aspirations of
Mekelle University to become a center of excellence and the support it is making to departments
to contribute to this cause, there arises a need for the DARE to revise its academic and research
programs, including teaching-learning and research as well as capacity. Currently, the
department trains undergraduate students in two programs–Natural Resources Economics and
Management (NREM) and Agricultural Economics (AgE). The department also hosts two MSc
programs in Agrecology and Sustainable Development (AESD) and Agricultural Economics and
Policy, and a PhD program in Climate Change and Rural Development (CCRD). It can be seen
that the department has currently a small number programs both at undergraduate and
postgraduate levels.

Teaching-learning resources-wise, the department has currently a limited number of highly

qualified personnel (those with terminal degree) at its disposal for the teaching-learning process,
especially in the undergraduate program. The undergraduate program suffers from a shortage
learning materials especially books and teaching materials, which have dampening impact on the
educational quality. Most of the staff members have not yet obtained their terminal degrees,
which indicate an opportunity for improved capacity and improved quality of educations. The
number of research outputs (such as publications and other outputs) is limited in the department
as there is limited opportunity (resources) for research. In effect, if the department is going to
make meaningful contribution to ensuring excellence, there arises a need to improve educational
quality, conduct and properly disseminate high quality research and building the capacity of staff
members to promote educational and research quality.

In order to improve quality of education, it is imperative to create conducive teaching-learning

environment by improving and furnishing class rooms with the necessary teaching-learning
infrastructure. It is planned in addition to integrate ICT and strengthen its use for facilitating
effective knowledge transfer in the teaching-learning process. Furthermore, there is a need to

22
exploit the ‘stock of knowledge’ vested in senior staff members for improved knowledge
transfer; and the plan therefore includes mobilizing them to be used as resource persons in the
undergraduate programs. Equally important, there is a need to significantly increase access to
learning materials such as books, articles, theses and other relevant materials for better learning
in all programs. For improving quality, there arises a need to build research capacity of staff
members through primarily MSc and PhD studies. The plan also includes organizing tailor-made
trainings in order to augment research capacity of staff members, students and other
stakeholders. In addition, creating a mechanism to enable students and staff alike to have access
to scientific journals is indispensable for conducting high quality research. It is planned to
increase access to such key inputs for improving quality of research. Furthermore, it is planned
to create, regularly maintain and support research output dissemination outlets such as seminars,
conferences, etc.

Staff capacity development is another strategic priority. It is planned to upgrade the educational
level of staff members to MSc and PhD levels both in relevant programs in Mekelle University
and other national and international academic institutions. For such capacity development, it is
planned to allow and lobby for staff members who find capacity development scholarships by
themselves abroad and create and strengthen networks with academic and research institutions.
Overall, it is planned to increase the number of PhD holders significantly and upgrade the
educational level of most of the staff members to at least MSc degree by the end of the mid-term
period (by 2040).

The development and strengthening of networks and partnerships is another priory planned to be
implemented. It involves the establishment and maintenance of networks and partnerships with
like-minded educational centers, research institutes, agricultural development and natural
resources management government offices, policy-making bodies and the private sector for the
purpose of improving educational quality, capacity development and joint academic and research
activities, experience sharing and mutual learning. In the process, it is planned to establish 2-5
partnerships with educational centers, produce up to 5 annual policy briefs of research outputs,
create strong partnerships with 4 government bodies working in agricultural and natural resource
management and economics for better planning and dissemination of research by the mid-term

23
period (2040). This strategy outlines and details how the department can develop its own
implementation capability by generating additional (non-budgeted) funding from national and
international sources. To develop implementation capacity, profiling of grant opportunities and
mobilizing resources for writing grant proposals, profiling of training calls and mobilization of
resources to compete for such training calls and strengthening networks and partnerships for
potential funding support will be carried out.

24