Construction continued on the BEAA farm.  The office building was completed Fall 2026 and the farm manager and accountant were hired.  The laboratory, guest house, and lavatory construction continues to make progress.

The annual workshop included topics on a three year trench composting project with community farm partners, surface water hydrology, updates on Bio and Emerging Technology research in Ethiopia, regenerative grazing, and an introduction to soil sampling and testing.  Farmers were instructed how to take a soil sample and many brought the samples back for pH testing on day 2.

The Friendship City agreement between Waliso, Ethiopia and Wooster, OH was finalized.  The Ethiopian mayor blessed the team and the mayor of Wooster with a culturally significant Gabi blanket.

Summer 2025 Newsletter

2025 Christmas Letter

 

Windows and Doors were installed in the office and soil analytical laboratory buildings. Electricity and water have been brought to the site as well.

The perimeter fence around the Woliso site was repaired.

A weather station was installed and connected to the Trans-African Hydro-Meteorological Observatory (TAHMO) on the Woliso site.

Dr. Warren Dick returned to the Chencha prison with irrigation supplies and vegetable seeds.  The prison was able to grow their own food and sell the excess at the local market.

Production field plots were continued this year and harvests of 2,650# of chickpeas and 880# of corn were distributed to 125 local individuals in need.

The October workshop shared presentations on vermicomposting and the 4-H Youth Development program in the USA.  Farmers also received vegetable seeds and were encouraged to keep records that they can share next year at the workshop.

August 2024 Newsletter

December 2024 Newsletter

2024 Chencha Prison Story

Dr. Warren Dick visited Chencha prison to dedicate a basketball court and preach the Sunday message at the prison church

BAA Board Member Gobena Huluka was a Fulbright Scholar at Jimma University the home of Ethiopian soybean research

BEAA Program Manager Teddy Amuma graduated from the International Graduate School of Ministries and Dr. Dick gave the address

Building construction at the Woliso farm continues with walls and roofs completed.

Our first harvest of maize, soybean, faba bean, teff, and sunflowers was this year.  While not as productive as we hoped, we learned a lot and will continue to improve our methods.

The shipping container finally arrived in Woliso after 14 months of travel and border crossings!

BAA hosted 5 Ethiopians in Ohio where they visited modern agricultural facilities and shared about the BEAA project in Woliso

June 2023 Newsletter

December 2023 Newsletter

• Shipping container with soil laboratory equipment, solar panels, irrigation tubing, and agriculture resource books shipped from California, USA to WolisoBuilding construction on Woliso site began
• October workshop continued to build local support for BAA and an agricultural training institution and Dr. Briana Wyatt from Texas A&M demonstrated soil structure to local farmers
• July 2022 Newsletter
• December 2022 Newsletter

• Detailed drawings for demonstration farm in Woliso and soil analytical laboratory finalized
• Woliso Farm Dedicated
• Office established for BEAA in Addis Ababa
• Local farmers in Woliso joined together as an advisory committee
• December 2021 Newsletter
• June 2021 Newsletter

Woliso, Ethiopia Project Progress and Humanitarian Aid in 2020:

• Constructed a security fence around and guardhouse within the site, and hired guards for the site
• Provided humanitarian aid that contained wheat, rice, cooking oil, salt, detergent and face masks distributed to 120 households during COVID
• Partnered in the creation of a collaborating board in Canada – Bethel Agricultural Association (Canada) Inc. (BAAC)
• Continued with ongoing efforts to develop a chemical analytical laboratory to be located on project land
• Received a farm equipment donation

July 2020 Newsletter

Woliso, Ethiopia Project Progress in 2019:

• A local advisory committee was established in Woliso to help us plan and support our efforts
• Warren Dick traveled to Woliso and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in April 2019 to meet with various groups about the Woliso, Ethiopia project and established some important connections.
• 10 people from Engineering Ministries International (eMi) visited the Woliso, Ethiopia project site in September 2019 and created a Master Plan for the BEAUTC project site in Woliso, Ethiopia by December 2019.
• A BEAUTC Workshop on best practices in agriculture was hosted in Woliso, Ethiopia for area farmers in December 2019.

May 2019 Newsletter

December 2019 Newsletter

Woliso, Ethiopia Project Progress in 2018:

• Official approval for the 32 acre site in Woliso, Ethiopia was obtained, although details to take complete control still needed to be worked out.
• BEAUTC members established separate, but collaborative, boards in the North America and Ethiopia.
• BEAUTC USA was accepted as a nonprofit 501 (c)(3) organization and renamed as Bethel Agricultural Association, Inc.
• A basic site assessment was made by CultivAid from Israel when members of the North American and Ethiopian boards met with them in September 2018 at the Woliso site.
• A workshop for area farmers and agricultural professionals was held in Woliso, Ethiopia in December 2018.

 

Woliso, Ethiopia Project Progress in 2017:

• Bethel Environmental and Agricultural Association (BEAA) was established as an officially recognized organization in Ethiopia (a sister association to the North American BEAUTC organization to work on the project).
• Members of the North American BEAUTC board traveled to Ethiopia at three different times (Mekael Teshome in January, Warren Dick in March and July) to establish collaborations with the members of the BEAA board and to continue to develop relationships with the people and officials of Woliso, where the project site is located.
• Much progress was made towards raising the necessary funds to secure 32 acres of land in Woliso where our project will be located. A transfer of funds to Ethiopia to advance this effort was made.

Woliso, Ethiopia Project Progress in 2016:

• The first full-time staff member, Teddy Wodajo Amuma, began his work to lead the project at the local level in Ethiopia.
• Teddy was tasked with setting up an office in Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia near the U.S. Embassy. He established an accounting framework for BEAA and worked closely with the North American BEAUTC board to establish a Memorandum of Understanding. Teddy also made numerous trips to the planned project site to establish connections and good relationships with the local people in Woliso.
• Fundraising was done and initial efforts were made to secure the land in Woliso where the project will be located.
• A BEAUTC Facebook page was created.
• Two members of the North American BEAUTC board, Gobena Huluka and Mekael Teshome, traveled to Ethiopia in January to cement relationships between the two boards and plan for activities later in the year.
• Warren Dick traveled to Woliso in September to meet with government officials and to offer a soil quality workshop for agricultural and municipal officials in Woliso.

Woliso, Ethiopia Project Progress in 2015:

• Both a North American and an Ethiopia BEAUTC Board were established.
• Bethel Environmental and Agricultural Association (BEAA) registered in Ethiopia as the umbrella organization for the university and training center, as well as other activities planned for the future.
• Land (16 acres) was secured near the city of Woliso along with an option for 16 more acres. This is a prime location for the Bethel Environmental and Agricultural University and Training Center (BEAUTC).
• An office was set up in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, not too far from Woliso. This provides access to agencies and people as BEAA and BEAUTC get established. It is located directly across the street from the American embassy and is shared space with another non-profit organization.
• The first full-time employee was hired to start in early 2016. This person’s responsibilities were to carry out initial activities on behalf of BEAA and BEAUTC.

Woliso, Ethiopia Project Progress in 2014:

• The BEAUTC-North America made a great deal of progress fundraising for the BEAUTC project.
• Much work was done to negotiate land rights to the future project site for Bethel Environmental and Agricultural University and Training Center (BEAUTC) near Woliso, Ethiopia.
• In December 2014, Mekael Teshome, a member of the BEAUTC-North Amercian Board, traveled to assess the progress of the BEAUTC project, determine the current needs to help move the project forward, and to meet with Dereje GM, al local farmer and businessman who was helping to move the project forward for the BEAUTC-Ethiopian Board.
• The BEAUTC-North American Board wrote a letter to Dr. Fisseha Itanna, member of the BEAUTC-Ethiopian Board, giving their full support to the BEAUTC-Ethiopian Board for continuing to work towards the acquisition of land being considered near Woliso, Ethiopia for the site of the planned Bethel Environmental and Agricultural University and Training Center (BEAUTC).

Woliso, Ethiopia Project Progress in 2013:

• BEAUTC North American Board member, Gobena Huluka, completed his work in and trip to Ethiopia (trip dates: 12/13/2012 to 1/13/2013).
• The BEAUTC North American Board (Mekael Teshome, Ed Gregorich, Warren Dick, and Gobena Huluka) met in Wooster, OH in September 2013.
• Fundraising for the project continued.

Woliso, Ethiopia Project Progress in 2012:

• Gobena Huluka traveled to Ethiopia from December 13, 2012 to January 13, 2013.
• Warren Dick traveled to Ethiopia from December 12-20, 2012.
• The Bethel Environmental and Agricultural University and Training Center (BEAUTC) North American Board was created in the second half of 2012.
• The BEAUTC North American Board met in person for the first time in Ethiopia in December 2012.
• The BEAUTC North American Board were able to do the following while in Ethiopia in December: meet with the BEAUTC Ethiopian Board, tour the future site of the Bethel Environmental and Agricultural University and Training Center (BEAUTC) near Woliso, conduct an educational/training session for local agriculturalists and leaders, and meet with the appropriate local people to sign an agreement to move forward on the BEAUTC project.

Woliso, Ethiopia Project Progress in 2011:

• In November 2011, the Bethel Environmental and Agricultural University and Training Center (BEAUTC) project was approved under the umbrella of Interlink Ministries (https://interlinkministries.org/).  
• A BEAUTC web page was created and made available for information and donations.

Woliso, Ethiopia Project Progress in 2010:

• In June 2010, Dr. Fisseha Itanna identified land for the BEAUTC project.
• Dr. Warren Dick was invited by Dr. Dawit Abete, Head, Department of Biology at Addis Ababa University to come to Ethiopia and work with Dr. Fisseha Itanna in his department to work out plans for teaching activities in Ethiopia in July 2010.
• Dr. Warren Dick made the trip to Ethiopia to meet with Dr. Fisseha Itanna and discuss initial plans for establishing the BEAUTC project, an idea that had been discussed between the two since they had met in the United States three years prior. Dr. Dick also met with the mayor of Woliso, Ethiopia as well as area leaders during this trip. He was impressed by the local enthusiasm for the project.
• Upon his return home, Dr. Dick researched the possibility of either creating a non-project organization called BEAUTC-USA or applying to another non-profit organization to become an umbrella project under them.

Woliso, Ethiopia Project Progress in Before 2010:

• Bethel Agricultural Association’s (BAA) founder, Warren A. Dick, grew up on a farm in North Dakota in a Christian family with a passion for missions.
• The initial seed BAA was planted during the summer between Warren’s junior and senior years at Wheaton College (IL) that was spent in South Sudan. He saw much poverty and food insecurities. This led him to a decision to continue his studies in agriculture, leading to both his MS and PhD degrees in soil science from Iowa State University.
• Warren Dick became a Professor of soil science at The Ohio State University in 1980 and served in that role until his retirement.
• In 2007, he met a professor from Ethiopia, Dr. Fisseha Itanna, who shared the same dream of starting an educational institution focused on teaching sustainable agricultural and environmental practices. This led Warren to take an exploratory trip to Ethiopia in 2010 to see if this dream was something that could take root.