Agriculture is the dominant sector of Ethiopian economy, which accounts for 40 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP), 80 percent of exports, and an estimated 75 percent of the country's workforce (USAID, 2021). One of the main roles of agriculture in the Ethiopian economy is being the source of food and raw materials. For example, agriculture supplies the country with food grains, dairy and meat products. A productive agricultural sector provides relatively abundant food and raw materials to the population.

Debre Berhan University (DBU) is one of the 15 public universities labeled as the University of Applied Sciences, as a result the College of Agriculture and Natural Resource Sciences has started a transformation strategy to train highly skilled and competent graduates who fulfill the chronic shortage of high-level technical workforce fit for industries and able to establish their own business or enterprise besides undertaking practical oriented research and community engagement.

College of Agriculture and Natural Resource Sciences was established in 2000 E. C. with two under-graduate programs namely Animal and Plant Sciences and 6 academic staff (1 Ph.D., 4 MSc, and 2 BSc holders) with 70 total enrolled students. Currently, the College of Agriculture and Natural Resource Science consists of 5 Departments: Departments of Plant Science, Animal Science, Horticulture, Natural Resource Management, and Agricultural Economics, and enrolled over 700 students in 6 undergraduate and 16 graduate programs. About 110 academic, 9 administrative staff, and 11 laboratory technicians are working in the College.

In addition to teaching learning core process, different research activities and community services are conducting in different sites such as Ankober herbal medicine preparation and biodiversity conservation project; Shewa Robit integrated project and research site and Chacha to improve the livelihoods of the communities.

The college also trying to collaborate with local, regional, national and international organizations that are working in agricultural sector such as Forest and Climate Change Commission, Ethiopia Meat and Dairy Industry Development Institute, Water, Irrigation and Energy Minister, Africa RISING, CultivAID, Agricultural Research Center, and Ethiopian Economic Association.