The Agricultural team at the Embassy of the Netherlands in Addis Ababa, in collaboration with the Ethiopian Biodiversity Institute (EBI), successfully organized a validation workshop on the policy & institutional assessment for biodiversity mainstreaming in Ethiopia’s agricultural sector.
The workshop was held on Thursday, 21 May 2026 and brought together representatives from government institutions, development partners, universities, private sectors, and technical experts to review and validate the findings of the assessment, in support of Ethiopia’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) 2025–2030, specifically Target 10 on biodiversity mainstreaming in agriculture. It also served as a platform to discuss and align on the way forward for integrating biodiversity into Ethiopia’s agricultural sector. The assessment, which forms part of the activities under the recently developed NL-ET Agri-Biodiversity Strategy by the Agricultural Team at the Netherlands Embassy, was conducted under the project “Biodiversity Mainstreaming in Ethiopia’s Agriculture Sectors.”
Opening Session
The program officially commenced with welcoming remarks delivered by the moderator/host Dr. Samson Shimeles from the Ethiopian Biodiversity Institute. This was followed by remarks from Alwin Quispel, Counsellor for Agriculture and Nature at the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Dr. Tesfu Fekensa, Lead Executive Officer – Animal Biodiversity Research Directorate of EBI, also provided opening remarks emphasizing the growing need to integrate biodiversity considerations into Ethiopia’s agricultural development efforts.
The opening session highlighted the urgent need for stronger collaboration to address the growing challenges of biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation in Ethiopia. Emphasizing that biodiversity mainstreaming is crucial for not only protecting ecosystems, but also for sustaining agricultural productivity, strengthening long-term food security and improving rural livelihoods.
Building on existing initiatives and expanding scope
The assessment builds on previous initiatives, including IUCN’s BIODEV2030 programme, FAO and Norwegian Embassy forestry mainstreaming initiatives, and Ethiopia’s wider biodiversity agenda. Compared to earlier assessments, this initiative significantly broadened the scope of analysis by:
- Expanding the focus from selected biodiversity hotspot regions to a national scale;
- Including additional subsectors such as fisheries, aquaculture, beekeeping, and horticulture;
- Reviewing recently adopted policies and strategies not covered in previous studies; and
- Providing an evidence base for future biodiversity mainstreaming roadmap development.
Presentation of the policy gap analysis
The main presentation of the workshop was delivered by consultants Dr. Mekbeb E. Tessema and Dr. Addisu Asefa, who presented the findings of the “Policy & Institutional Assessment for Biodiversity Mainstreaming in Ethiopia’s Agricultural Sector.”
The presentation provided an overview of Ethiopia’s rich biodiversity resources, noting that the country is among the world’s biodiversity-rich nations, with thousands of plant and animal species, many of which are endemic. However, participants were informed that increasing agricultural expansion and unsustainable practices continue to place pressure on ecosystems and biodiversity.
The assessment identified five major pressures affecting biodiversity within the agriculture sector:
- Land-use change;
- Pollution;
- Invasive alien species;
- Unsustainable biological resource use; and
- Natural system modifications.
The study also reviewed existing policies, strategies, proclamations, regulations, and institutional frameworks related to these pressures affecting agriculture and biodiversity management.
The presentation highlighted several important policy and institutional gaps affecting biodiversity mainstreaming efforts and categorized them as weak policy enforcement, fragmented institutional coordination, limited biodiversity-focused regulations, inadequate monitoring systems, and insufficient integration of biodiversity considerations into agricultural planning and extension systems. Recommendations were also provided for each PPI gap that was identified.
Cross-cutting and institutional challenges
The assessment identified several systemic challenges that limit effective biodiversity conservation within the agriculture sector. One major challenge is the lack of a clearly defined and operational understanding of biodiversity across policies and institutions, leading to inconsistent implementation and limited mainstreaming.
The assessment further identified significant institutional and governance gaps that weaken biodiversity management in the agriculture sector. These includes:
- Weak cross-sectoral coordination among relevant institutions;
- Limited research, data collection, and biodiversity monitoring systems;
- Absence of biodiversity mainstreaming tools, guidelines, and practical implementation frameworks;
- Fragmented institutional mandates and overlapping responsibilities;
- Lack of a national coordination platform for biodiversity and agriculture;
- Weak enforcement capacity for environmental regulations; and
- Limited integration of biodiversity considerations into agricultural extension services.
Group work and stakeholder engagement
Following the presentations, participants engaged in group discussions to validate the identified policy gaps and recommendations. The discussions focused on:
- Reviewing whether additional policy gaps or recommendations should be included;
- Identifying relevant stakeholders and institutional actors required for implementation; and
- Prioritizing the most urgent policy areas for future intervention.
Participants from various institutions actively contributed ideas and recommendations based on their expertise and sectoral experiences.
They indicated their commitment, provided prioritization and suggested stakeholders to engage in the process to strengthen the assessment and ensure its relevance for policy implementation. These validated findings and recommendations are expected to play a key role in guiding the development of a roadmap with defined activities, responsibilities, and financing needs for biodiversity mainstreaming in Ethiopia’s agricultural sector as well as for the development of future bankable project concepts aimed at strengthening sustainable and resilient agricultural systems in Ethiopia.
More information
You can reach out to the LAN team in Addis for more information or questions via ADD-LVVN@minbuza.nl