On the 24th, the Korea Forest Service (KFS), led by Minister LIM Sang-seop, announced the successful completion of the Agroforestry for People, Peace, and Prosperity project, implemented in collaboration with the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) in Ethiopia over the past three years since 2022.

This project aimed to restore forests and support the livelihoods of local communities by planting income-generating trees, such as coffee trees, in Hawassa, a degraded border region in Ethiopia that had suffered from a lack of management.

Thanks to the active participation and interest of local communities, the forest restoration area exceeded the initial goal of 1,000 ha by 36%, resulting in the successful restoration of a total of 1,369 ha.

Notably, the construction of coffee processing facilities and capacity-building training for community members improved the quality of coffee beans from Grade 3 to Grade 1, laying a strong foundation for economic self-reliance in the region.

An official from the Ethiopian regional government remarked, “The establishment of nurseries and forests in degraded areas has reduced flood damage to villages, while coffee cultivation and sales have increased communities’ incomes. Furthermore, as neighboring villages (Kebeles), previously in conflict, participated in the forest restoration process together, peace has returned to the community.”

Hyunju Lee, Director of International Cooperation Division at the KFS, stated, “This case demonstrates the significant role forests can play in fostering both economic self-reliance and community peace. We hope that the two nations, which have signed a bilateral forestry agreement, will continue to strengthen this cooperative relationship in the future.”