Agriculture is still the backbone of the Ethiopian economy that supports about 80% of the total employment, constitutes 43% of the national GDP and is a source of 90% of the export. Cognizant of this fact, Hawassa University has a long history of supporting this sector for the last four decades through training, research, technological innovations and community services. Agriculture and natural resources management has been one of the core activities of community service undertakings of the University.

The following are some of the community outreach programs in agriculture and natural resources management

• Promotion and pre-scaling up of variety food barley, malt barley and wheat in highland woredas of Sidama Regional state
• Promotion and pre-scaling up of improved seed chickpea varieties in low land woredas of Sidama Regional state.
• Promotion and pre-scaling out of common bean in selected woredas of Sidama Regional state
• Introduction of improved potato verities and DLS technology for seed-producing farmers in highland woredas of Sidama Regional state.
• Introduction of Soybean in selected midland woredas of the zone
• Capacity building training for Development Agents, woeda and zone level experts as well as training for farmers on various areas; agronomy, crop protection, post-harvest handling and value addition, soil fertility management and small-scale irrigation in different districts of Sidama Regional state
• Training on improving Traditional Enset (Enseteventricosum) processing techniques in the vicinity in different woredas of Sidama Regional state  
• Vegetable and fruit production and marketing support

Improved avocado verities distributed to farmers in  Hawassa City Administration

• Livestock production
• Introduction and demonstration of improved poultry production and management,
• Introduction and dissemination of improved feed (Desho grass) for farmers.
• Community-based sheep breed improvement by (Bonga RamXLocal sheep).

• Introduction and demonstration of family-based fish production through family pond
• Capacity building training for development agents, experts, farmers and youths on small ruminant production, poultry production, feed development and treatment, Dairy cows production and management.

Improved wheat verity in introduced by HwU in highland woredas of Sidama Regional State

Improved bean varieties introduced by HwU in low land woredas of Sidama Regional State

 Natural resources management

• Rehabilitation of degraded landscape in Borich woreda of Sidama Regional State

• Community-based participatory integrated watershed management(PIWM) intervention and capacity building on urban green infrastructures (UGI)
• Implementation of Eco-hydrology principles to treatment waste effluent of wet coffee processing plant to manage river water quality (Gidabo watershed, Dale woreda, Regional state)

The degraded land rehabilitation project, Boricha woredas, Sidama Regional State