Addis Ababa University School of Graduate Studies an Ethnobotanical Study of Useful Plants of the Farming Site in Gozamen Wereda
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ADDIS ABABA UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES AN ETHNOBOTANICAL STUDY OF USEFUL PLANTS OF THE FARMING SITE IN GOZAMEN WEREDA, EAST GOJJAM ZONE OF AMHARA REGION, ETHIOPIA BY HAIMANOT RETA MAY, 2010 ADDIS ABABA UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES An Ethnobotanical Study of Useful Plants of the Farming Site in Gozamen Wereda, East Gojjam Zone of Amhara Region, Ethiopia By Haimanot Reta A Thesis Presented to the School of Graduate Studies of Addis Ababa University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Biology (Botanical Science) Approved by Examining Board: Dr. Mirutse Giday (Examiner) __________________ __________ (Signature) (Date) Prof. Sileshi Nemomissa (Examiner) ______________ _________ (Signature) (Date) Dr. Zemede Asfaw (Adviser) ____________________ _________ (Signature) (Date) Prof. Ensermu Kelbessa (Adviser) _______________ _________ (Signature) (Date) Dr. Dawit Abate (Chairman) ___________________ _________ (Signature) (Date) MAY, 2010 ADDIS ABABA ii Table of Content List of Tables ................................................................................................................................. iv List of Figures ................................................................................................................................. v List of Appendices ......................................................................................................................... vi List of Acronyms .......................................................................................................................... vii Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... ix 1. INTRODUCTION...................................................................................................................... 1 1.1. Background .......................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Justification ........................................................................................................................... 2 1.3 Restatement of the Proble ..................................................................................................... 3 1.4 Hypothesies to be Tested ...................................................................................................... 3 1.5 Objectives of the Study ......................................................................................................... 4 1.5.1 General Objective .............................................................................................................. 4 1.5.2. Specific Objectives ............................................................................................................ 4 2. LITERATURE REVIEW ........................................................................................................... 5 2.1 Ethnobotany .......................................................................................................................... 5 2.2 Indigenous Knowledge (IK) .................................................................................................. 5 2.3 Use full Plant-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------6 2.3.1 Major use categories of use full plants ........................................................................... 7 2.3.1.1. For food .................................................................................................................. 7 2.3.1.2. For traditional medicine ......................................................................................... 8 2.3.1.3. Multipurpose use--------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9 2.4 Traditional Farming System ................................................................................................ 10 2.4.1. Traditional field crop practices ................................................................................... 10 2.4.2 Traditional home gardens ............................................................................................. 11 2.4.3 Traditional seed exchange ............................................................................................ 11 2.4.4. Traditional soil and water conservation practices ....................................................... 12 2.5. On-farm Conservation ........................................................................................................ 12 2.6 Ex-situ Conservation ........................................................................................................... 13 2.7. Agrobiodiversity ................................................................................................................ 14 3. STUDY AREAS AND METHOD............................................................................................ 15 3. 1. Description of the Study Area ........................................................................................... 15 3.2 Data Collection Methods..................................................................................................... 20 i 3.2.1 Selection of the study site ............................................................................................ 20 3.2.2 Selection of informants ................................................................................................ 20 3.2. 3. Ethnobotanical data collection and analysis .............................................................. 21 3.2.4. Plant specimen collections and identifications ........................................................... 23 4. RESULT .................................................................................................................................... 24 4.1 Emic Categorization Systems and Practices in the Study Area .......................................... 24 4. 2. The Spatial and Temporal arrangement of Useful Plants in the Farming Site .................. 26 4.3. Useful Plant Complexity in the Farming Site (‘Guaro’ & ‘Massa’) .................................. 28 4. 3. 1 Plants that need low level of management ................................................................ 28 4.3.2 Plants that need medium level management ................................................................ 28 4.3.3 Plants that need high level of management .................................................................. 32 4.3.3.1. Cereals, pulses and oil crops ................................................................................ 32 4.3.3.1.1. The major cereal and pulse crop species and the locally preferred soil types for their cultivations ..................................................................................... 35 4.3.3.1. 2. Frequency of tillage and sowing time of the major cereal and pulse crop species .......................................................................................................... 38 4.3.3.1.3. Seed source of cereals, pulses and oil crops ................................................. 39 4.3.3.1.4. Traditional agronomic practices of cereals pulses and oil crops after collecting planting material ........................................................................... 40 4.3.3.1.5. Crop pests and weeds .................................................................................. 41 4.3.3.1.6. Traditional seed storage techniques of cereals, pulses and oil crops ............ 43 4.3.3.2 Fruit and vegetable production in the study area .................................................. 45 4.3.3.2.1 Factors that hinder cultivation of fruit and vegetable food crops .................. 47 4.3.3.2.2 Water harvesting types to cultivate home garden crops ................................. 48 4.3.3.3 Spices .................................................................................................................... 49 4.4 Introduction of Exotic Varieties and Loss in diversity of land races .................................. 50 4.4.1 Types of introduced (exotic) seed varieties ................................................................. 50 4.4.2 Perception of local farmers towards exotic seed varieties in the study area ................ 51 4.4.3. The impact of introduced seed varieties on indigenous farming practices and welfare of the community ........................................................................................................ 51 4.5 Threatened Local Farmers Varieties ................................................................................... 52 4.6 Reason of Threatening of Local Farmers Varietie .............................................................. 53 4.7. Medicinal Plants in the entire Study Area.......................................................................... 54 5. DISCUSSION ........................................................................................................................... 56 5.1 Local Categories Used by Indigenous People ......................................................................... 56 ii 5.2 Structure and diversity of use full plants in the farming site .............................................. 56 5.3 Farming System .................................................................................................................. 60 5.3.1. Mixed and inter cropping or crop association in the study area