Deutscher Tropentag 2002 Witzenhausen, October 9-11, 2002 Conference on International Agricultural Research for Development

Enset ( ventricosum (Welw.) Cheesm.) in subsistence farming systems in

Zippel, Karina a Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Fachgebiet Obstbau, Albrecht-Thaer-Weg 3, 14195 Berlin, Germany. Email: [email protected]

Abstract Enset is cultivated as a food crop only in southern and southwestern Ethiopia though growing wild widely distributed in Africa. It is a multipurpose crop and provides also forage, construction material, fuel and traditional medicine amongst others. Moreover, enset cultivation improves soil by permanent soil tillage due to its high demands to soil fertility and soil structure. Enset is not a monoculture, but rather includes , pulses, vegetables, fruit trees and animal husbandry. Climate and cultivation system both have a strong impact on enset cultivation in each particular region. However, regarding traditions connected to enset, enset has a strong impact on the cultivation system and the everyday life of the people. Therefore, often it is referred to as "enset culture".

Background and justification from 3 to 8 months (AMBORN 1991, BRANDT Enset (Ensete ventricosum, family. et al. 1997, SCHULTE-KEMNA 1983, ) is widely distributed in eastern WESTPHAL 1975, KEFALE et SANDFORD and southern Africa but cultivated only in 1991). southern and southwestern Ethiopia as staple food for about 15 million people in mixed Objective subsistence farming systems. Cultivation is The aim of this study is to elucidate practised by different ethnic groups (Tab. 1- interactions within a single farm and within 3). The main product is starch extracted farming systems, and to compare different from the underneath and the leaf systems. sheaths. Moreover, all parts of the are used in household, agriculture and traditional medicine. Numerous landraces Material and methods are grown for different uses and site Farming systems in 10 Regions in requirements. Propagation is done southwestern Ethiopia are compared with vegetatively. It is cultivated in areas regard to enset cultivation, arable crops, extending from 1700 to 3300 meter altitude horticultural crops, animal husbandry and with annual average temperatures between climate. These regions are located in the 8°C and 22°C and annual precipitation enset growing region in southern and between 900 and 1500 mm. Dry periods lasts southwestern Ethiopia, east and west of the

1 Rift Valley, namely Alaba, Gardula, Gedeo, and thinning, respectively, and tools used for Gurage, Hadiya, Kambatta, Sidamo, Sura, cultivation and Tambaro, Welaita and Wenchi. At least 10 processing. farms were visited in each region and farmer Gardula were interviewed about their enset represents a cultivation. In Wenchi farmer were third system of interviewed during a demonstration of enset several enset farming at three farms. Farmers were cultivating questioned for the crops they were growing ethnics in south- and the importance of enset within their western plantation with special reference to the Ethiopia which landraces of enset. A short description of are less each farm was made including the sex of the specialised but interviewed person, family size (if possible), highly size of total farm and enset plantation, diversified than diversity of cultivated crops, soil type and the described current weather conditions (ZIPPEL et systems. KEFALE 1995). Only slight differences are Results observed in the Enset diverse use of cultivation and enset (Fig. 1-7, processing Tab. 2), and requires very seem to high seasonal correspond to labour input the introduction (Fig. 9-11, Tab. of enset 3). In each cultivation to region very each particular specific ethnic group. techniques in Few landraces enset cultivation were developed were found in but others were all regions, found in all some in a very regions (Fig. 12 limited area and and 13, Tab. 1- most landraces 3). The Rift- in a wider area Valley separates with slow export to two large enset neighbouring cultivation types regions (Fig. 8). A mixture of different which differ by cereals, pulses, vegetables and fruits is certain cultivated according to the climatic cultivation conditions, some of them within the enset techniques, plantation (Fig. 14, Tab. 1). Animals are transplanting kept to provide manure (Fig. 2 and 11, Tab. 2 3). As a forage crop enset is used only in few factor have impact on the whole system. In regions depending on the availability of recent years a conflict arose with rising further forage crops or grazing areas (Fig. 2, population numbers enforcing larger enset Tab. 2). All processes interact within the plantations and reducing pasture areas which system and within a single farm. Soil tillage resulted in damaging enset plantation due to is of high importance to preserve fertility lack of sufficient manure and lower yield and drainage. Besides permanent hoeing and due to early harvesting. manureing the soil is covered either with natural vegetation or mulch which prevents erosion (Fig. 11, Tab. 3). Changes of one

Figure 1: factors affecting enset cultivation and interactions within the cultivation system and a single farm (continued).

climate and site - temperature - rainfall - wind - altitude - soil

uses cultivation - food measurements: - forage - landraces - household ENSET - propagation - construction - transplanting - medicinal treatments CULTURE - hoeing and weeding - labour - manure and litter - income - pruning

cropping system - crops grown in the cultivation system - animal husbandry - available labour - available land - importance of enset - pests and diseases - intensity of cultivation system - intensity of enset cultivation - cash crops - ethnics - traditions - religion

3 Table 1: crops grown in enset cultivation systems region ethnic cereals oil crops tubers pulses vegetables fruits condiments and others group spices stimula nts Dorze-Dita Omotic barley, enset, Galla pea cabbage coffee cotton Gardula Omotic wheat, potato, kolto pumpkin lemon tobacco grain amaranth teff, (Araceae), maize yam, taro Gurage Semitic maize, Brassica enset, potato, horse bean, cabbage, onoins, lime, lemon, orange, Capsicum, sweet coffee, cotton, sugar Alaba Cushitic noug taro pea, chickpea, garlic, pumpkin, shaddock, citron, loquat, basil, rue, ch'at cane Hadiya Cushitic t'eff, safflower lentil, fenugreek, tomato, Jack bean grape, peach, banana, coriander, (Catha Kambatta Cushitic barley, common bean papaya Ethiopian edulis), Tambaro Cushitic wheat, caraway, black tobacco finger cumin, fennel, millet buckthorn, thyme Sidama Cushitic wheat, Brassica enset, yam, horse bean, cabbage, Solanum peach, passion fruit, sweet basil, rue, coffee, cotton, sugar Gedeo Cushitic barley, noug taro, sweet pea, common dasyphyllum, S. orange, lemon, Capsicum, ch'at, cane, lemon teff, safflower potato, bean, lima bean, nodiflorum, mandarin, lime, Annona, coriander, fennel, tobacco grass sorghum cassava, Galla Psophocarpus pumpkin, tomato, loquat, banana, grape, buckthorn, mint, maize potato, potato palustris onions, garlic papaya, guava ginger Welaita Omotic wheat, Brassica enset, galla common bean cabbage, Solanum banana, lemon, lime, Capsicum, sweet tobacco cotton, sugar barley, noug potato, sweet horse bean dasyphyllum, S. passion fruit, orange, basil, ginger, coffee cane, lemon teff, potato, yam, pea nodiflorum, papaya buckthorn, rue, grass, grain sorghum taro, (anchote, fenugreek pumpkin, onions, coriander, fennel, amaranth maize cassava) garlic, Moringa thyme, bishop weed Wenchi Cushitic maize, Brassica enset, taro lentil, chickpea, cabbage, pumpkin, banana papaya, guava, Capsicum, coffee, cotton, sugar sorghum noug yam, Galla common bean, onions, garlic, passion fruit, orange, coriander, rue, ch'at, cane, lemon t'eff, potato, lima bean, tomato, Solanum lemon, lime, citron, sweet basil, tobacco grass, grain barley, anchote, sweet runner bean, dasphyllum loquat, grape, tree fennel, ginger, amaranth wheat, potato, horse bean, tomato, peach, black buckthorn, finger cassava, pea, pigeon pea mulberry, pomegranate, rosemary, garden millet potato shaddock, mandarin, cress, thyme mango, pineapple, Italian apple, gooseberry source: MINKNER (1986), SHACK (1966), STRAUBE (1963), WESTPHAL (1975), ZIPPEL et KEFALE 1995

4 Table 2: use of enset region ethnic food household construction forage traditional labour income group medicinal treatment Alaba Cushitic ++++ ++++ ++++ +++ +++++ +++++ ++++ Dorze-Dita Omotic ++++ ++++ +++++ ++++ +++++ +++++ +++++ Gedeo Cushitic +++ +++ ++++ +++ +++++ +++++ ++++ Gardula Omotic +++ +++ ++++ +++ +++++ +++++ +++ Gurage Semitic +++++ +++++ +++ - +++++ +++++ ++++ Hadiya Cushitic ++++ ++++ ++++ +++ +++++ +++++ ++++ Kambatta Cushitic ++++ +++++ ++++ +++ +++++ +++++ ++++ Sidama Cushitic +++++ ++++ ++++ +++ +++++ +++++ +++ Tambaro Cushitic ++++ ++++ ++++ +++ +++++ +++++ ++++ Welaita Omotic ++++ ++++ ++++ +++ +++++ +++++ ++++ Wenchi Cushitic +++ +++ +++ ++++ +++++ +++++ ++ source: MINKNER (1986), SHACK (1966), STRAUBE (1963), WESTPHAL (1975), ZIPPEL et KEFALE 1995

Table 3: cultivation and processing of enset region ethnic propagation nursery intercropping processing fermentation group Alaba Cushitic separate field, sprouts transplanted after 1 transplanting + year Dorze-Dita Omotic separate field, sprouts transplanted after 1- transplanting ++ 2 years Gedeo Cushitic within the plantation or separate field, thinning +++ sprouts transplanted after 1 year Gardula Omotic within the plantation, sprouts transplanted thinning +++ after 3 year, corm is used two times for propagation Gurage Semitic separate field, sprouts transplanted after 1 transplanting + year Hadiya Cushitic separate field, sprouts transplanted after 1 transplanting + year Kambatta Cushitic separate field, sprouts transplanted after 1 transplanting + year Sidama Cushitic within the plantation or separate field, thinning +++ sprouts transplanted after 1 year Tambaro Cushitic separate field, sprouts transplanted after 1 transplanting ++ year Welaita Omotic separate field, sprouts transplanted after 1 transplanting +++ year Wenchi Cushitic separate field, sprouts transplanted after 1 transplanting + year source: MINKNER (1986), SHACK (1966), STRAUBE (1963), WESTPHAL (1975), ZIPPEL et KEFALE 1995

5 Conclusions for the Advancement of Science, Washington D.C., V+56 pp. Enset is cultivated in subsistence farming KEFALE ALEMU; SANDFORD, STEPHEN (1991): Enset systems with little connection of the in North Omo Region. FRP Technical Pamphlet producer with the market, low prices, and No. 1, 49 pp., FARM-Africa, Addis Ababa production mainly for personal use. MINKNER, G. (1986): Burji - Konso-Gidole - Dullay. Due to intense soil tillage enset has a Materialien zur Demographie, Landwirtschaft positive impact on soil fertility and micro und Siedlungsstruktur eines süd-äthiopischen climate, and shows soil preserving Kulturareals. 62-108, 128-133, 224-229, Bremen capabilities. SCHULTE-KEMNA, BERNHARD (1983): Systems with enset are integrated production Umweltstabilisierung durch autochtone systems, whose different production lines Anbauverfahren - Beispiel Ensete oder "falsche correspond with each other. Banane". Entwicklung und ländlicher Raum, 17 (6), 13-15 These systems respond much better to SHACK, WILLIAM A. (1966): The Gurage - a people ecological or structural changes than systems of the Ensete culture. Oxford University Press, which have only one or very few production London New York Nairobi lines. STRAUBE, H. (1963): Völker Süd-Äthiopiens. Bd. III. Westkuschitische Völker Südäthiopiens. W. Kohlhammer Vlg., Stuttgart References WESTPHAL, E. (1975): Agricultural systems in AMBORN, H. (1991): Dürre und die kulturelle Ethiopia. Agricultural Research Reports 826, Antwort - Subsistenzwirtschaft einer bäuerlichen Centre for Agricultural Publishing and Gesellschaft. In: Wüsten-Erde, Peter E. Stüben Documentation, Wageningen (ed.), Focus-Verlg, Gießen ZIPPEL, KARIN; KEFALE ALEMU (1995): A field guide BRANDT. STEVEN A., SPRING, ANITA, HIEBSCH, to enset landraces of North Omo, Ethiopia. FRP CLIFTON, MCCABE, TERRENCE, ENDALE Technical Pamphlet No. 9, iv+208 pp., FARM- TABOGIE, MULUGETA DIRO, GIZACHEW WOLDE- Africa, Addis Ababa MICHAEL, GEBRE YNTSO, SHIGETA, MASAYOSHI, SHIFERAW TESFAYE (1997): The "Tree against Hunger". American Association

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