Tigray is one of the four regions in Ethiopia in which the Provision of Adequate Tree Seed Portfolio (PATSPO II) project works. There had been war going on in Tigray from the beginning November 2020 and until October 2022, when the peace agreement between the Government of Ethiopia and the regional forces in Tigray was signed.

Although it was impossible to carry out its activities in the region, PATSPO had contact with its Regional Coordinator in Tigray during the conflict and received regular updates on the actual situation at the Regional Tree Seed Center (RTSC) in Mekelle.

The Tigray Region is included in the work plan and budget of PATSPO II for 2023/2024 aiming to re-start the activities in Tigray as soon as peace prevailed in the region. When the war dust settled a few months after the peace agreement, early in February 2023, the president and vice president of Mekelle University, and the president of Adigrat University visited the ICRAF/PATSPO II Office in Addis Ababa together with Professor Mitiku Haile. Professor Mitiku Haile, former President of Mekelle University, a highly respected scholar in the Tigray Region, who has also been collaborating with ICRAF in several of its projects, had played a key mediator's role in organizing the visit. During the meeting with the visitors, it was agreed that a PATSPO II team should visit Mekelle in March 2023.

Accordingly, a group of staff from PATSPO II/CIFOR-ICRAF visited Mekelle on 27^th and 28^th of March. The group included Niguse Hagazi, the ICRAF Interim Country Director in Ethiopia, and Senior Team Leader of PATSPO II, Soren Moestrup among others.

The group first attended a meeting at the office of Tigray Bureau of Agriculture and Natural Resources (BoANR) with 15 senior staff members of the Bureau, and some other heads of relevant offices and projects and their teams. The PATSPO II regional Coordinator for Tigray and the CIFOR-ICRAF Coordinator in Tigray also attended the meeting.

Prof. Mitiku Haile opened the meeting and informed the participants the purpose of the meeting. Berhanu Haile, Senior Adviser of the Head of BoANR, told the participants that the region’s landscape, natural resources and the forests had been damaged during the two years of conflict. “The Bureau appreciates the visit of the PATSPO II/ICRAF team to Mekelle, as it was the first project or organization to come to the Bureau for general discussions and to re-start activities much needed in the Tigray Region,” Berhanu said.

The Deputy Bureau Head and Head of Natural Resources and Food Security Section, Desta Gebreselassie, presented the key priority areas for post-conflict restoration of forests and natural resources in Tigray.

PATSPO II gave an introduction to its work and a presentation of its achievements during the years 2017-2022 and informed about the plan and activities for 2022-2025, as well as its implementation modalities and the enhanced role of the major partner institutions, including the Tigray BoANR, as well as the mandate of the PATSPO II Steering Committee and Technical Committee.

Following the presentations, a lively discussion was held on what PATSPO II could do to support the forestry sector in Tigray within its mandate. The need for huge numbers of tree seedlings was raised as a major problem.

The potential areas of immediate support and collaboration highlighted during the discussion were capacity building training for RTSC- and BoANR staff, as well as farmer tree seed collector groups, experience sharing inside and outside of Tigray, workshop on ‘awareness creation on the importance of quality tree seed’ in Tigray, tree seed orchard (SSO) establishment, tree seed source identification and tree seed purchase to meet immediate needs. It was also discussed, if PATSPO II could support rehabilitation of tree nurseries, as almost all has been seriously damaged during the conflict.

The team paid a visit to the regional tree seed centre on the outskirts of Mekelle. To the visitors’ surprise and happiness, most staff members were safe and waiting for them at the centre, and the buildings, the cold stores, the seed laboratory, the equipment, tools and the seedling seed orchard (SSO) established inside the centre’s compound were all in good condition. The same goes for the PATSPO vehicle, which was kept at a safe place in Mekelle for the past two years. During it stay in Mekelle, the PATSPO II staff together with the RTSC staff did a more thorough assessment of the situation at the centre. They went through the equipment, tools, seed store, seed laboratory and the general situation of the RTSC to identify specific activities to be initiated as soon as possible.

The PATSPO II team also went to the Arato village, an hour drive from Mekelle, to visit a public tree nursery site that has the capacity to raise more than 150,000 tree seedlings, mainly fruit trees, annually. The site was excellent for nursery operation, as it was close to a small river and the soil was very fertile. It was obvious that the nursery has not been in use for a long period of time and needs renovation. However, the PATSPO II team observed that the renovation of such small and effective nurseries doesn’t cost much, as only minor establishments and utilities are required.