Fikadu Derssa

An Ethiopian environmental activist leading community-driven efforts to combat deforestation and promote sustainable agriculture in the face of climate change.

Fikadu Derssa is an Ethiopian environmental scientist and community organizer whose work has revitalized degraded ecosystems in the Oromia region of Ethiopia. Born in 1989, Derssa founded Green Hands Ethiopia in 2020, a nonprofit that mobilizes rural communities to plant indigenous tree species while integrating agroforestry practices into farming systems. His approach combines scientific research with traditional knowledge, resulting in a 40% increase in crop yields for participating farmers and the restoration of over 150,000 hectares of degraded land by 2024.

Derssa’s innovation lies in his “Forest-First Agriculture” model, which trains farmers to intercrop coffee, teff, and fruit trees to create biodiverse microenvironments. This method not only sequesters carbon but also reduces soil erosion in Ethiopia’s drought-prone regions. In 2022, Derssa’s work was featured in the documentary “Fikadu’s Forest: Roots of Resilience”, highlighting how his techniques could mitigate the impacts of Ethiopia’s 2023 famine crisis.

Internationally, Derssa advises the African Union’s Climate Resilience Initiative and co-authored the 2023 UNEP Agroforestry Policy Framework for Eastern Africa. His advocacy for Indigenous land rights led to Ethiopia’s 2024 amendment of forestry laws, granting local communities legal ownership of restored lands. Derssa’s TEDx talk, “The Forest in the Field,” has inspired similar projects in Kenya and Uganda, proving that grassroots environmental stewardship can transform both ecosystems and economies.