Diversity, indigenous knowledge and management of enset diversity on-farm: evidence from kembatatembarozone, angachaworeda, Ethiopia

Enset, Enseteventricosum, is a crop that contributes to food security for more than 20 % of Ethiopia’s population. The objective of the present study was to understand farmers’ knowledge to enset diversity management and their response to EXW. A total of 80 farm households were surveyed using individual household interviews. Sixty-five cultivar names were recorded for the study area. The number of cultivars cultivated on individual farms ranged from 4 to 10 (with mean of 9.3). Farmers primarily prefer cultivars with good kocho and bulla yield and quality and 10 enset cultivars having merits of it were encountered on above 50% of the farms visited. Farmers as tolerant to enset bacterial wilt identified seven cultivars. Farmers identified various enset production constraints in their locality. 30% of farmers reported the existence of EXW in their fields. Most farmers’ understanding of how disease is caused had no basis in scientific fact, citing birds, insects, wind and highly fermented dung during wet season as the causal agents of the bacteria, while nearly 25% said they did not know. An understanding of cultivar distribution and selection criteria will assist future germplasm conservation to ensure continued food security. Therefore, in order to maintain enset genetic diversity and to reduce the likelihood of incursion of EXW in enset crops, a systematic operational approach to the management of EXW should be adopted.