December 27, 2025
Office of the Vice President for Research & Collaboration at Hawassa university, in collaboration with the ICP-V project sponsored by the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Ethiopia, had organized a policy dialogue workshop to assess the nexus among research, policy, and practices in natural resources and watershed management.
Dr. Tafesse Matewos, V/President for R & C at HU, stated in his opening remarks that a country’s development is determined by two fundamental factors: the formulation of effective policies, and the existence of leadership that is committed to implementing those policies. He also explained that any policy, before being formulated, should be based on scientific evidence and should involve all relevant stakeholders. Dr. Tafesse further underscored the necessity of regularly reviewing and improving policies in addition to developing new ones.
Dr. Beyene Teklu, a senior researcher in sustainable agriculture at HU, presented research findings on the link among scientific research, policy and practices in the sector. His presentation encompassed the assessment of policy coherence among forest, water, energy, and food nexus and identified critical policy objectives that influence the nexus. By considering the policy instrument, the research evaluated practice and outcomes using deforestation reduction, agricultural productivity improvement, agricultural input, and food sovereignty as indicators of policy outcomes.
The workshop was meant to gather constructive feedback from stakeholders to produce a well iinformed policy brief for future applications.
