Mission, Vision, and Goals

Mission

Bethel Agricultural Association advances agriculture through education and hands-on demonstration of sustainable agricultural and environmental practices, empowering livelihoods, families, and communities to thrive. 

Vision

That people, especially in Ethiopia where we are currently focusing our work, will experience a vibrant and thriving environmental and agricultural landscape that will lead to food security and a higher quality of life.

Goals

• Establish and university and training center that focuses primarily on the environment and agriculture.

• Educate and train farmers, middle managers, and leaders in the principles and practices of sustainable agriculture and resource management.

• Establish a botanical garden to preserve plants and serve as a biological library for teaching and respite.

• Promote agribusinesses and diversify the economy.

• Empower women in agricultural and community development.

• Foster international links in teaching and research.

More Information

Ethiopia is the second most populous country in Africa with more than 108 million people, but only the 10th largest in size. The once dense forests are mostly gone and water is increasingly scarce. Food insecurity is an ongoing problem. But, there is hope because Ethiopia has great potential for increasing food production. It has fertile soils and abundant rain in many areas of the country

There is a saying, “Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish he will have food for a lifetime.” But that is only true to an extent. If you only teach technology, this can easily lead to overfishing and the problem of food insecurity remains. It is imperative that technology is properly combined with practices that are sustainable in the long-term.

The establishment of a university and a demonstration farm will, hopefully, result in more young Ethiopians considering agriculture and agribusiness as a career. Ethiopia offers excellent opportunities for its agricultural community, but because of lack of investment in technology and application of sustainable practices, that potential is yet to be realized. For example, the lack of irrigation systems for individual farmers keeps the land barren during the dry season. This results in soil degradation and the unfulfilled potential of additional income because ideally, there could be a second or third growing season.