E thiopia, a country of breathtaking beauty, landscapes that change from high plateaus to thick forests to broad rivers. From Tis Abay, home of "the smoking waters," springs the winding Blue Nile. Ethiopia is a goldmine of genetic variety. For thousands of years, primitive farmers planted, harvested, selected and refined the seed base that nourishes humanity. Wheat, sesame, barley, coffee, banana, onion; all have their roots in Ethiopia. In the genetic wealth of just one seed lies the knowledge, the culture, the lives of thousands of generations.
As with much of what is commonly known as the "third world," Ethiopia was not always a poor country. The impoverishment of the country can be traced to its deforestation. Westerly winds that dropped their rains across the forested highlands have, in the past few years, passed silently over the farmlands. Their are few trees to hold the little water that falls. The earth is parched and the people suffer. It is difficult to forget the famine of 1985: one million people died of hunger. In their desperation, Ethiopian farmers even ate the seeds they needed for planting. The indigenous cereals of the area risked extinction.

Hailu Getu