Adugna Tolera

Biography

Professor Adugna was born in 1959 in Jardega Jarte district of Horro Guduru Wollega zone of Oromia, western Ethiopia. He was brought up on smallholder farm which hands on practical experience in agricultural activities and livestock production. He attended his elementary and secondary school education at Shambu elementary and senior secondary school, respectively, from 1970 to 1979. He passed the Ethiopian School Leaving Certificate Examination with very great distinction and joined the then Alemaya College of Agriculture, where he studied animal science for his Bachelor of Science degree. Upon completion of his study he was recruited by Awassa College of Agriculture, Addis Ababa University, as a graduate assistant in the department of Animal Science, where he started his career. Professor Adugna Tolera is an animal scientist specialized in animal nutrition with over 25 years of experience in teaching, research and outreach activities at Addis Ababa University (Awassa College of Agriculture) and Hawassa University (1983-2007). He was also had short term research experiences at Lnagston University, USA (July – December 2000) and Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Norway (October 2004 – August 2005). From December 2007 up to September 2011, he worked for Texas A&M University as Livestock Production Specialist for the Ethiopian Sanitary and Meat Marketing Program (SPS-LMM), which was implemented in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture. His research and development work experience focuses on animal feeds and nutrition, range management, livestock production systems as well as feeding and management of meat and dairy animals. Professor Adugna also has rich experience in organizing, facilitating and conducting short term training programs for different target groups and on different subjects. He has rendered consultancy services to different organizations in the areas of livestock production, feed resources and feeding systems. He had also successfully facilitated an international course on Feeds Analysis and Feeding Strategies for National Agricultural Research Systems researchers drawn from Eastern and Central Africa on behalf of ASARECA Animal Agriculture Research Network (A-AARNET) and ILRI. Upon the request of the Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Prof. Adugna was engaged in assisting the Upper Nile University in South Sudan to establish Animal Nutrition Laboratory and he provided shopping list of needed equipment’s and chemicals. Prof. Adugna has published over 70 scientific publications in peer reviewed scientific journals, international and national workshop proceedings, book chapters, books or monographs and manuals.

Research Interest

Animal feeds and nutrition, range management, livestock production systems as well as feeding and management of meat and dairy animals.