Enset-Based Farming Systems of Kucha Wereda Gamo Goffa Zone

Abstract

Enset-based farming systems survey was undertaken in the three selected Peasant Associations namely Daho, Bolla and Woyied, of Kucha wereda in Gomo Gofa zone. A multidisciplinary team of researchers from Awasa Agricultural Research Center and Kucha, Integrated Rural Development Program (KIRP) was involved in the survey. The major objectives of the study were to characterize and analyze enset based farming systems of Kucha wereda and identify agricultural production constraints in general and enset production constraints in particular in order to design short, medium and long term interventions that would improve agricultural productivity and consequently the livelihood of the community. To meet the envisaged objectives, both formal and informal survey methodologies were employed to collect the necessary data for this study. Trained enumerators interviewed 92 sample households, 30 farmers per PAs. The collected survey data were analyzed writh a computer software package known as SPSS 10.0 version for windows. The enset-based farming system of the three PAs were characterized and analyzed. Opportunities and constraints of the study area were identified. All demographic, socio-economic, religion, educational status and indigenous farmers’ knowledge were documented. Agriculture is the basis for household economy. Nevertheless, farmers use traditional method of farming and agricultural production in the area is mainly for subsistence requirement. The major crop grown in the area includes maize, tef, haricot bean, enset, sweet potato, cassava, coffee, groundnut, Irish potato, wheat, barely and sorghum in their order of importance. However, the average productivity of these crops was below the national average. Livestock production is equally an important sources income for the farmers. Farmers use traditional methods of animal husbandry and they were unable to get modern veterinary services. The result of the survey revealed that enset production systems in the area showed a declining trend as compared with the previous years. The main reasons for this were the existence of bacterial wilt disease, dead heartleaf rot, corm rot, wild animals; heavy dependence on enset, recurrent drought; use of traditional processing and storage techniques, less number of enset clones, poor soil fertility, sloppy nature of the cultivable land and soil erosion. Although livestock contributes a lot for the household economy, its production is affected by the prevalence of diseases and pests like trypanosomes, anthrax, black leg, alkite and seasonal feed shortage. Farmers in the study area do not have access to agricultural credit, improved market place due to roads and transportation problems, lack of animal and human health services. In order to alleviate the problem of inset diseases especially inset bacterial wilt, provision of training about the nature, source, cause, and transmission mechanism of the disease to inset farmers and development agents and a follow-up implementation of community based sanitary and cultural control measure considered to be a high and immediate priority interventions. Because no enset clones so far are found resistant, introduction of enset clones having better tolerant reaction to the disease envisaged to be an important task in augmenting the sanitary control measures. Introduction and demonstration of improved crop varieties of different types, provision of credit, improving the marketing conditions in the area is essential. In addition, introduction of improved enset processing devices is important solution to reduce rural women’s workload is the major short term interventions for the area.