Production Status And Roles Of 'Enset' For Livelihood Security

Enset (ensete Ventricosum) plays a central role in the economic and socio cultural life of the majority people of southern part of Ethiopia. It appears frequently in the meals of most families, and people rely heavily on enset food when other subsistence crops fail. Enset is a multipurpose crop of which every part is thoroughly utilized, not only for food but also for several cultural applications. Enset provides substantially more calorie than cereal, estimates ranges from double to 20 times as much. The nutritional benefit of enset in the diet of the rural population has been widely recognized. However, substantial research and technological development has not been carried out in the enset growing areas in order to facilitate wider consumption. Therefore, the main focus of this research is to identify factors influencing enset production and, assess the main contribution of enset crop in enabling rural people to improve their livelihood security.