Professional Summary
Eng. Habtamu Abay Eshetie is an Ethiopian PhD Candidate, irrigation engineering researcher, remote-sensing specialist and climate-smart agricultural water management professional based at Bahir Dar University. He is pursuing a PhD in Water Resources and Environmental Engineering with specialization in Irrigation Engineering and Management. His research focuses on satellite-based root-zone soil moisture modelling, agricultural drought assessment, climate-smart irrigation and water productivity improvement in the Lake Tana Basin. His academic background is strong and practical. He holds an MSc in Irrigation and Drainage Engineering from Arba Minch University and a BSc in Water Resources and Irrigation Management from Mekelle University. This gives him a solid foundation in irrigation infrastructure, drainage systems, water resource development, water management and agricultural water systems. Habtamu’s current PhD research integrates Sentinel-2 remote sensing, NDVI, OPTRAM, statistical modelling, machine learning and AquaCrop to analyse root-zone soil moisture dynamics. This work is highly valuable because soil moisture is one of the most important variables for irrigation scheduling, drought monitoring, crop stress assessment and climate-resilient agricultural water management. His publication record already shows strong scientific contribution. He has published research on high-resolution root-zone soil moisture for agricultural drought assessment using Sentinel-2 and hybrid modelling in the Lake Tana Basin, and on climate change impacts on potential evapotranspiration and crop water demand in the Tana Sub-Basin of the Upper Blue Nile Basin. His conference contributions demonstrate active engagement with Ethiopia’s water and agricultural transformation agenda. He has presented work on solar-powered drip irrigation, plastic mulching, yield and water-use efficiency, satellite-based soil moisture estimation, agricultural drought risk monitoring and climate-change impacts on crop water demand. Before his PhD research, he worked as Lecturer and Researcher at Wollo University, teaching irrigation engineering, hydrology and water resources management, supervising undergraduate research projects and contributing to community service and capacity building. He also worked as Water Resources Engineer in North Wollo Zone, where he supported hydrological analysis, water resource assessment, irrigation planning, field data collection and technical reporting. His technical tools include R, Python, AquaCrop, ArcGIS, QGIS, Sentinel-2, NDVI, OPTRAM, CMIP6, ERA5, CHIRPS, Microsoft Excel and AutoCAD. He also has advanced training in sustainable water management and precision agriculture, including plant phenotyping and smart agricultural analysis. Habtamu brings strong value to AquaLinked / Water for Africa Experts because he represents a modern, research-driven African irrigation specialist who can connect remote sensing, climate modelling, machine learning, field experiments and practical agricultural water management to improve irrigation efficiency, drought resilience and food security across Ethiopia and Africa.
Key Expertise
Major Projects and Contributions
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PhD Research – Climate-Smart Irrigation and Soil Moisture Modelling in the Lake Tana Basin
Conducts PhD research at Bahir Dar University on climate-smart irrigation and root-zone soil moisture dynamics using Sentinel-2 remote sensing, statistical modelling, machine learning and AquaCrop to support agricultural water management in the Lake Tana Basin, Ethiopia. -
High-Resolution Root-Zone Soil Moisture for Agricultural Drought Assessment
Published research on high-resolution root-zone soil moisture estimation for agricultural drought assessment using Sentinel-2 and hybrid modelling in the Lake Tana Basin, Ethiopia. This work supports drought monitoring, irrigation scheduling and climate-resilient agriculture. -
Climate Change Impacts on Potential Evapotranspiration and Crop Water Demand
Published research on climate change impacts on potential evapotranspiration and crop water demand in the Tana Sub-Basin of the Upper Blue Nile Basin, Ethiopia, contributing to climate-resilient irrigation planning and agricultural water management. -
Sentinel-2, NDVI and OPTRAM-Based Soil Moisture Modelling
Applies Sentinel-2 imagery, NDVI and OPTRAM approaches to estimate soil moisture and support precision agricultural water management, drought risk monitoring and irrigation decision-making. -
AquaCrop Modelling for Climate-Smart Agricultural Water Management
Uses AquaCrop and process-based modelling to analyse crop-water relationships, root-zone soil moisture dynamics, crop water demand and water productivity under changing climate and irrigation conditions. -
Machine Learning and Hybrid Modelling for Soil Moisture Estimation
Develops and evaluates hybrid modelling frameworks that combine remote sensing, statistical modelling, machine learning and process-based models for improved soil moisture estimation and agricultural drought assessment. -
Solar-Powered Drip Irrigation and Plastic Mulching Research
Presented research evaluating the effects of solar-powered drip irrigation and plastic mulching on yield and water-use efficiency for tomato and wheat production in the Lake Tana Basin, supporting practical climate-smart irrigation strategies. -
Agricultural Drought Risk Monitoring in the Tana Sub-Basin
Presented research on satellite-based soil moisture estimation for agricultural drought risk monitoring in the Tana Sub-Basin of the Upper Blue Nile River Basin, Ethiopia, contributing to drought early warning and agricultural resilience. -
CMIP6 Climate Data Analysis for Agricultural Water Management
Applies CMIP6 climate data analysis to study climate change impacts on evapotranspiration, crop water demand and irrigation planning, supporting climate-informed agricultural water decisions. -
Field Experimentation for Drip Irrigation, Mulching and Water-Use Efficiency
Conducts field experimentation on drip irrigation, plastic mulching, crop yield and water-use efficiency, linking scientific modelling with practical irrigation performance in agricultural systems. -
Calibration and Validation of Spatial Soil Moisture Datasets
Calibrates and validates spatial soil moisture datasets using field measurements including Time Domain Reflectometry, strengthening the reliability of remote-sensing-based agricultural water analysis. -
Lecturer and Researcher – Wollo University
Served as Lecturer and Researcher at Wollo University, delivering undergraduate courses in irrigation engineering, hydrology and water resources management, conducting research on irrigation efficiency and climate change impacts, supervising undergraduate student research, and contributing to community service and capacity building. -
Water Resources Engineer – North Wollo Zone, Amhara Region
Worked as Water Resources Engineer in North Wollo Zone, conducting hydrological analysis, water resource assessments, irrigation planning support, field data collection, evaluation of water infrastructure, technical reporting and project documentation. -
Sustainable Water Management Summer School – Kiel University, Germany
Participated in the Summer School on Sustainable Water Management: Challenges and Solutions at Kiel University, Germany, including lectures, group projects and practical field exercises on sustainable water resource management. -
SMART Platform for Plant Phenotyping and Precision Agriculture Training – Italy
Attended training on SMART Platform for Plant Phenotyping and Precision Agriculture: Tools, Practice and Analysis under the Climate-Smart Water Management and Sustainable Development for Food and Agriculture in East Africa project in Italy. -
The 2nd National Conference on Agricultural Transformation
Presented research on solar-powered drip irrigation and plastic mulching for yield and water-use efficiency at the 2nd National Conference on Agricultural Transformation, organized by the Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Institute in Addis Ababa. -
ICAST 2025 Conference – Advancement of Science and Technology
Presented research on solar-powered drip irrigation and plastic mulching at the 13th EAI International Conference on the Advancement of Science and Technology, ICAST 2025, in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia. -
African Graduate Student Conference – Climate Change and Crop Water Demand
Presented research on climate change impacts on potential evapotranspiration and crop water demand in the Tana Sub-Basin at the 5th African Graduate Student Conference hosted by Bahir Dar University. -
International Symposium on Sustainable Water Resource Development
Presented research on satellite-based soil moisture estimation for agricultural drought risk monitoring in the Tana Sub-Basin at the 23rd International Symposium on Sustainable Water Resource Development, organized by Arba Minch University. -
Externally and Internally Funded Research Projects Workshop – Bahir Dar University
Presented research on satellite-based soil moisture estimation for agricultural drought risk monitoring at Bahir Dar University’s annual workshop on externally and internally funded research projects. -
Advanced Technical Tools for Climate-Smart Irrigation Research
Uses R, Python, AquaCrop, ArcGIS, QGIS, Sentinel-2, NDVI, OPTRAM, CMIP6, ERA5, CHIRPS, Microsoft Excel and AutoCAD for soil moisture modelling, climate analysis, irrigation planning and agricultural water management. -
Academic Mentorship and Research Supervision Support
Builds on lecturing experience, student supervision, field research and PhD-level mentorship to contribute to irrigation education, student development, research capacity and practical agricultural water-management knowledge. -
Future Contribution: Climate-Smart Irrigation, Remote Sensing and Water Productivity in Africa
Aims to contribute to climate-smart irrigation strategies, water productivity improvement, remote-sensing soil moisture estimation, agricultural drought monitoring, precision irrigation, crop water demand analysis, sustainable water management and food-security resilience across Ethiopia and Africa.