Temesgen Zana Jaffo - new staff member

Temesgen Zana Jaffo holds a Master of Science degree in Agribusiness and Value Chain Management from Hawassa University and BA degree in Economics from Mekelle University, Ethiopia. He has an extended professional engagement in development cooperation sector counting over 15 years of experience in project monitoring and evaluation, agricultural value chain analysis, and pro-poor market development approaches.
Throughout his career history, Temesgen has worked with several international development organizations such as the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), USAID, and World Vision, contributing to pertinent development initiatives focusing on smallholder commercialization, agricultural value chain development and promotion of rural microfinance services in Ethiopia.
In his latest role as Regional Coordinator and Technical Advisor for Value Chain Development at the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), Temesgen played a key role in facilitating the integration of smallholder farmers into agri-food value chains and coordinating stakeholder engagement for the integrated agro-industrial park (IAIP) development program in Southern Ethiopia. His areas of expertise include designing and implementing project monitoring and evaluation systems, conducting agricultural value chain analysis studies, strengthening farmer/producer organizations and promotion of rural access to finance.  

In his new role at the Thünen Institute, he will be working on Smallholder-Teak project that aims to analyse the feasibility of financing schemes for quality timber production in smallholder and community forest plantations, incl. teak plantations and suggest possible improvements to increase economic outcomes in Asia-Pacific and West Africa (Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, India, Indonesia and Togo). This research project is part of a broader BMEL-ITTO project “Promoting Quality Timber Production in Smallholders and Community-based Teak and Other Valuable Species Plantations in the Tropics".