Beyene Moges

Ethiopian environmentalist leading reforestation efforts and climate resilience projects.

Beyene Moges: Greening Ethiopia

Beyene Moges emerged in the early 1990s as a visionary environmentalist in Ethiopia, where he pioneered the 'Green Legacy' initiative that transformed desertified landscapes into thriving ecosystems. Born in 1968, he witnessed the devastating impact of soil erosion and drought on his community, motivating him to study agroforestry in Kenya. Returning to Ethiopia in 1992, he co-founded the Ethiopian Green Legacy Organization, which mobilized over 1 million volunteers in annual tree-planting drives by 2000.

His innovative 'Barefoot Forestry' approach trained rural farmers to plant drought-resistant species like acacia and eucalyptus using low-cost techniques. This model increased Ethiopia's forest cover from 3% to 15% in two decades, earning him the 2002 UN Equator Prize. Moges also developed climate-smart agriculture programs, teaching communities to intercrop with trees, tripling crop yields in arid regions.

Despite government budget cuts, he expanded operations to Somalia and Kenya through African Forestry Network. His 2015 TED Talk 'Planting Hope in the Dust' inspired global reforestation campaigns. By 2020, his methods had been adopted in 12 African countries, reducing soil erosion by 40% in participating regions. Moges' legacy is evident in Ethiopia's 2022 commitment to restore 15 million hectares of degraded land by 2030.