Enset landrace diversity in major enset growing regions of Southern Ethiopia

Enset [Ensete ventricosum (Welw.) Cheesman] is an important food security crop of the Southern Ethiopian highlands. The cultivation of enset is characterised by a wide variety of landraces, suitable to varying agro-ecological conditions and with multiple uses by households. The objective of this pap...

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Autores principales: Blomme, Guy, Kearsley, Elizabeth, Buta, Sisay, Chala, Alemayehu, Kebede, Ruhama, Addis, Temesgen, Yemataw, Zerihun
Formato: Journal Article
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: African Crop Science Society 2023
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/131575
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author Blomme, Guy
Kearsley, Elizabeth
Buta, Sisay
Chala, Alemayehu
Kebede, Ruhama
Addis, Temesgen
Yemataw, Zerihun
author_browse Addis, Temesgen
Blomme, Guy
Buta, Sisay
Chala, Alemayehu
Kearsley, Elizabeth
Kebede, Ruhama
Yemataw, Zerihun
author_facet Blomme, Guy
Kearsley, Elizabeth
Buta, Sisay
Chala, Alemayehu
Kebede, Ruhama
Addis, Temesgen
Yemataw, Zerihun
author_sort Blomme, Guy
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Enset [Ensete ventricosum (Welw.) Cheesman] is an important food security crop of the Southern Ethiopian highlands. The cultivation of enset is characterised by a wide variety of landraces, suitable to varying agro-ecological conditions and with multiple uses by households. The objective of this paper is to present enset landrace diversity, characteristics and uses in Ethiopia. The study was done through interviews with 375 households covering 20 communities (kebeles) and eight ethnic groups, along an altitudinal range of 1,500 to 3,000 masl across the main enset-producing belt in Southern Ethiopia. A total of 296 locally named enset landraces were recorded. Landrace presence was mostly constrained at the kebele and zone levels, with limited overlap in landrace names across these boundaries. Moderate to high enset landrace diversity was observed on farms across the entire study region. Cultivating a variety of landraces not only allowed for diversified uses, but increases the likelihood of retained yield and food security under variable environmental circumstances. Farmer experience and indigenous knowledge allow for the selection of specific landraces suited to prevalent agro-ecological conditions. We identified a perception bias in the attribution of landrace agro-ecological characteristics, with farmer insight often dependent on the environmental conditions that the local community was exposed to. We underscore the importance of research-based characterisation of enset landraces, to ensure optimal cultivation of this food security crop in changing climatic conditions.
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spelling CGSpace1315752025-11-11T23:17:12Z Enset landrace diversity in major enset growing regions of Southern Ethiopia Blomme, Guy Kearsley, Elizabeth Buta, Sisay Chala, Alemayehu Kebede, Ruhama Addis, Temesgen Yemataw, Zerihun food security crop production agronomic characters ensete ventricosum landraces climate change adaptation Enset [Ensete ventricosum (Welw.) Cheesman] is an important food security crop of the Southern Ethiopian highlands. The cultivation of enset is characterised by a wide variety of landraces, suitable to varying agro-ecological conditions and with multiple uses by households. The objective of this paper is to present enset landrace diversity, characteristics and uses in Ethiopia. The study was done through interviews with 375 households covering 20 communities (kebeles) and eight ethnic groups, along an altitudinal range of 1,500 to 3,000 masl across the main enset-producing belt in Southern Ethiopia. A total of 296 locally named enset landraces were recorded. Landrace presence was mostly constrained at the kebele and zone levels, with limited overlap in landrace names across these boundaries. Moderate to high enset landrace diversity was observed on farms across the entire study region. Cultivating a variety of landraces not only allowed for diversified uses, but increases the likelihood of retained yield and food security under variable environmental circumstances. Farmer experience and indigenous knowledge allow for the selection of specific landraces suited to prevalent agro-ecological conditions. We identified a perception bias in the attribution of landrace agro-ecological characteristics, with farmer insight often dependent on the environmental conditions that the local community was exposed to. We underscore the importance of research-based characterisation of enset landraces, to ensure optimal cultivation of this food security crop in changing climatic conditions. 2023-08-14 2023-08-17T08:09:34Z 2023-08-17T08:09:34Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/131575 en Open Access application/pdf African Crop Science Society Blomme, G.; Kearsley, E.; Buta, S.; Chala, A.; Kebede, R.; Addis, T.; Yemataw, Z. (2023) Enset landrace diversity in major enset growing regions of Southern Ethiopia. African Crop Science Journal 31(3) p. 279 - 299. ISSN: 1021-9730
spellingShingle food security
crop production
agronomic characters
ensete ventricosum
landraces
climate change adaptation
Blomme, Guy
Kearsley, Elizabeth
Buta, Sisay
Chala, Alemayehu
Kebede, Ruhama
Addis, Temesgen
Yemataw, Zerihun
Enset landrace diversity in major enset growing regions of Southern Ethiopia
title Enset landrace diversity in major enset growing regions of Southern Ethiopia
title_full Enset landrace diversity in major enset growing regions of Southern Ethiopia
title_fullStr Enset landrace diversity in major enset growing regions of Southern Ethiopia
title_full_unstemmed Enset landrace diversity in major enset growing regions of Southern Ethiopia
title_short Enset landrace diversity in major enset growing regions of Southern Ethiopia
title_sort enset landrace diversity in major enset growing regions of southern ethiopia
topic food security
crop production
agronomic characters
ensete ventricosum
landraces
climate change adaptation
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/131575
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