Stichting Wageningen Research Ethiopia: a WUR office for projects in Ethiopia

Stichting Wageningen Research Ethiopia (SWR Ethiopia) represents Wageningen University & Research (WUR) in Ethiopia. Established in 2021 and officially registered as an International NGO by the Ethiopian Authority for Civil Society Organizations, SWR Ethiopia is committed to transforming food systems across the country. With over 30 research professionals—many working across the regions of Tigray, Amhara, Oromia and Sidama—SWR Ethiopia partners with national and regional stakeholders to co-develop locally adapted, sustainable solutions.

Our vision

We envision resilient, inclusive, and sustainable food systems that ensure equitable access to nutritious diets. By empowering smallholder farmers—particularly women—and fostering climate-smart practices, SWR Ethiopia works to create economic opportunities for all while safeguarding environmental health.

Driving Sustainable and Equitable Food System Change

SWR Ethiopia strives to be a leading innovator in the transformation of Ethiopia’s agri-food systems. We do this by improving productivity, enhancing food and nutrition security, boosting value chain performance, and promoting both import substitution and export opportunities.

Our main objectives are:

  • Action-oriented research
  • Policy development and advice
  • Inclusive change facilitation

Through strategic collaboration with public institutions, the private sector, civil society and development partners, we aim to shape sustainable, equitable and resilient food systems from farm to fork.

We work on

SWR Ethiopia’s programmes are clustered around key thematic pillars:

The services that SWR Ethiopia can provide include

Agri-food sector transformation

We focus on strengthening entire agricultural value chains for cereals, oilseeds, pulses, spices, vegetables, fruits, poultry and other food security commodities. Special attention is given to seed systems and sector governance.

Governance for food system transformation

We guide bottom-up agricultural planning by supporting through localized food system assessments, integrated recommendation mapping, multi-stakeholder platforms, and improvements in Ethiopia’s food safety control systems.

Social equity in food systems

We embed gender-transformative approaches and youth inclusion across our initiatives. In addition, we work to enhance access to inclusive financial services and promote agripreneurship through incubation and training.

Food system transformation for healthy diets

We support nutrition-sensitive agriculture, implement based dietary guidelines, ensure food safety, and drive behavioral change communication to promote healthier eating habits.

Environmental health and sustainability

We encourage regenerative and circular farming practices, promote good agricultural practices (GAP), and advocate for the climate-resilient use of inputs like fertilisers and pesticides.

Facilitation of policy & system change

We collaborate with and build the capacity of stakeholders—especially in areas like seed policy, pluralistic agricultural extension, contract farming, regulatory frameworks, and initiatives supporting overall transformation of food systems.

Pathways of influence

Our approach is grounded in co-creation and learning through our pathways of influence:

Pathways of influence
Pathways of influence

Current project portfolio

SWR Ethiopia currently hosts four projects:

TRANSFORM Soil Fertility Management

The Project (2025-2028) aims to improve soil health and fertility management through inclusive, bottom-up, participatory approaches.