Eng. Tigist Worku Awulachew

Professional Summary

Ethiopian Irrigation and Water Harvesting Researcher and Water Resources Engineer with eight years of professional experience at the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research, Melkassa Agricultural Research Center. She holds an MSc in Water Resources Engineering with specialization in Irrigation Engineering from Adama Science and Technology University and a BSc in Water Resources and Irrigation Engineering from Arba Minch University. Her work focuses on irrigation water management, crop water requirements, water productivity, deficit irrigation, water harvesting, evapotranspiration, crop coefficients, drip irrigation, salinity and drainage management, water quality assessment, field experimentation, data analysis, and scientific publication. Her research supports water-efficient and climate-smart agricultural production in water-limited environments.

Key Expertise

Major Projects and Contributions

• Irrigation and Water Harvesting Research – Melkassa Agricultural Research Center
  Conducts irrigation and water management research at the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research, Melkassa Agricultural Research Center, focusing on irrigation system design and management, crop water requirements, water productivity, water harvesting, field experimentation, agronomic data analysis, water quality assessment, and agricultural water management.
• Deficit Irrigation and Mulching Effects on Onion Yield and Water Productivity
  Conducted MSc research at Melkassa, Ethiopia evaluating the effects of deficit irrigation and mulching on onion yield and water productivity, with the thesis receiving an Excellent result and later contributing to scientific publication.
• Optimal Irrigation Water Allocation for Pepper
  Contributed to research on optimal irrigation water allocation for enhanced productivity and economic gain of pepper in semi-arid Ethiopia.
• Optimal Irrigation Water Allocation for Haricot Bean
  Contributed to experimental research on irrigation water allocation for improving haricot bean productivity and economic returns under semi-arid Ethiopian conditions.
• Nitrogen and Soil Moisture Optimization for Tomato
  Participated in research evaluating nitrogen management and soil-moisture optimization for tomato production in semi-arid areas of Ethiopia.
• Tomato Evapotranspiration and Crop Coefficient Using Lysimeters
  Contributed to determination of evapotranspiration and crop coefficient for tomato using non-weighing lysimeters in a semi-arid environment.
• Sorghum Evapotranspiration and Crop Coefficient at Melkassa
  Contributed to research determining evapotranspiration and crop coefficients of sorghum at Melkassa farmland in the semi-arid Central Rift Valley of Ethiopia.
• Maize Response to Soil Moisture Stress
  Participated in research on maize response to soil-moisture stress at different growth stages in the Central Rift Valley of Ethiopia.
• Spatial Analysis and WaPOR for Agricultural Water Productivity
  Completed training and applied learning in spatial analysis for agricultural applications using open-source tools and WaPOR, supporting water-productivity assessment and agricultural water management.
• Water Delivery Infrastructure Construction Internship
  Completed an internship in water-delivery infrastructure construction with Amhara Water Works Supervision, Construction and Design from January to June 2017.