Mapping Enset Value Chain: Roles, Constraints, and Opportunities in Guraghe Zone, Ethiopia

Abstract

Enset is a staple food crop consumed primarily by many people in the Guraghe Zone. This study aims to examine the Enset value chain in the Guraghe Zone, focusing on the roles, constraints, and opportunities faced by the actors involved in the value chain. Cross-sectional data from a total of 356 Enset farming households were collected using a survey. Panel data on Enset product production and productivity from 2013 to 2021 were also analyzed, in addition to data gathered from focus group discussions and keyinformant interviews. In the study area, Enset input suppliers, Enset farmers, Enset product village collectors, product retailers, wholesalers, and consumers were the major actors in the Enset value chain. The study estimated the yield of three major Enset products; yields were highest in 2019, with 0.37 qt/tree for amicho and 0.39 qt/tree for kocho. The quintal/tree yield for amicho ranged from 0.14 to 0.37 between 2013 and 2021, whereas kocho yield ranged between 0.14 and 0.39. Using Mean Likert Scale (MLS) analysis, the major constraints in the Enset value chain were bacterial wilt disease (MLS = 4.93), lack of storage (MLS = 4.23), perishability and odor (MLS = 3.61), and seasonal market demand (MLS = 3.9). Interventions are necessary to enhance the adoption and innovation of bacterial wilt-resistant Enset varieties, in addition to improving Enset production and processing methods for better productivity and reduction of post-harvest loss.