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INTRODUCTION
Diverse Ethiopian communities have been employing traditional biotechnologies to produce alcohols, beverages and foods such as Araqi, Bordie, Enjera, Katikala, Korefie, Qotcho, Senafitch, Taj and Tella , both at household and small-scale commercial levels. In fact, the use of small-scale traditional biotechnologies specialized in the production of alcohols and beverages continued, and have become major economic engines in Ethiopia. Traditional alcohol and beverage industries have played a vital role in facilitating the urbanization of many settlements during the last two centuries. As pioneers in practicing agriculture, animal husbandry and poultry, Ethiopians have been employing traditional plant and animal breeding and selection techniques for several thousand years. Apparently, their knowledge of these techniques provided us with the wealth of domesticated animals and plants that we have today. The fact that Ethiopia is designated as one of the Vavilov Centers of Diversity attests to the contributions of the ancestral communities in selecting, domesticating and conserving diverse species and a variety of crops.
As conventional biotechnologies, particularly conventional animal and plant-breeding and selection techniques, were widely used as major tools in increasing agricultural productivity, Ethiopia followed suit established the Institute of Agricultural Research (now called the Ethiopian Agricultural Research Organization, EARO) in 1966. Since then, this state-owned agricultural research organization has been carrying out conventional biotechnology researches to create improved seeds, fruits, livestock and poultry. Its research outcomes were being disseminated mainly to subsistence farmers and pastoralists for free or at very low cost. Its endeavours have not played a significant role in increasing Ethiopia's agricultural productivity, 1 probably because of the lack of commercially driven demands for such improvements. Developments in molecular biology and related fields since the 1960s gave rise to modern biotechnology. Unfortunately, despite the fact that modern biotechnology is becoming one of the most promising economic engines in several countries, Ethiopia made no substantial progress in introducing and developing modern biotechnology as an academic field and economic sector.
This article was initiated as a concept paper providing justifications to initiating biotechnology education and research and development (R&D) in one technology institute in Ethiopia. Data collection was made through visitations to three research institutions in the country and a review of official documents and literature. This article reports the scale and the nature...