<p>Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Initiative (GLI), launched in 2019, is a nationwide environmental campaign designed to restore degraded lands through large-scale tree planting, promoting climate resilience, sustainable food systems, and food sovereignty. Between 2019 and 2022, approximately 25 billion seedlings were planted—averaging 6.25 billion annually—with projections reaching 30–40 billion by 2025, covering over 327,000 hectares of degraded land. This systematic review of 95 studies and reports assessed the GLI’s impacts on ecological restoration and agricultural sustainability. Results indicate significant improvements in soil fertility, watershed health, and biodiversity conservation, with national average seedling survival rates of 85% and regeneration-to-planting ratios ranging from 4:1 to 10:1 at key sites. The initiative integrates agroforestry and community-managed forests, incorporating fruit-bearing and indigenous species, thereby supporting diversified food production and strengthening local control over natural resources—core elements of food sovereignty. Furthermore, the GLI contributes to climate change mitigation through carbon sequestration and enhances adaptation by increasing resilience to droughts and floods. The mobilization of millions, particularly youth and rural communities, has fostered environmental stewardship and socio-economic empowerment. Nonetheless, challenges including low survival rates in drylands (as low as 55%), inappropriate species selection, land tenure conflicts, and limited integration with agricultural policies constrain its full potential. The review highlights the need for strategic ecological planning, participatory governance, and systematic monitoring to sustain and expand the GLI’s ecological, agricultural, and social benefits, ultimately advancing community-driven, resilient, and sovereign food systems in Ethiopia.</p>