It is estimated that Africa's forests and woodlands cover about a quarter of the overall land area of the continent. Hundreds of millions of people in the continent rely on forests for their survival. These resources also provide food, energy, and income. They are a safety-net during hard times . Forests and forest resources play a major role in the livelihood of the people in the developing countries, including Ethiopia.
Frequent changes and restructuring of institutions constitute the challenges in the agricultural/forestry sector. Institutional changes imply revision of goals, objectives, strategies, programs, projects and activities in the sector or subsector. These changes demand new skills and technologies that call for skilled manpower to conduct various activities. In some cases, the application of new technologies requires studies on the relevance of the technology.
Studies reveal that forests play a significant role in the livelihood of the people. They serve as a buffer in maintaining livelihoods, provide environmental protection and provide social or cultural benefits to the people. However, the contribution of forests to the economy of the country is estimated to be very low. Though several direct and indirect drivers of deforestation and forest degradation have been identified, there has not been significant progress in reversing the situation.
On the other hand, it is important to capitalize on the benefits of trees while promoting tree planting campaign to mobilize large number of people. The forecast of future results shows that the number of trees owned by farm households will have socioeconomic impacts. This is based on the education, family size, land size, number of livestock owned, and access to infrastructure.