Economic attributes of “Ensete ventricosum” production for the farming communities in Wolaita and Kembata Zones of South and Central Ethiopia

Enset plays a vital role in providing both marketable and non-marketable goods and services to farming communities in southern and Central Ethiopia. Recognizing the key attributes of enset production and leveraging scientific knowledge is essential for maximizing the resource's potential and enhancing community welfare. This study aims to identify and estimate the economic goods and services of enset production. Using a cross-sectional survey with multistage sampling techniques, the study identified several significant economic benefits associated with enset production, including food, feed, fuel, medicine, fertility enhancement, soil moisture conservation, construction materials, fences, and soil and water conservation measures. The study found that the combined annual value of unprocessed enset and its three major products Kotcho, Bulla, and fiber amounted to 41.61 million and 3.79 billion Ethiopian birr, respectively. The feed, wrapping, income and cook benefits of the commodity’s estimated to be 171.9Billion Birr annually. Out of these additional attributes, feed value take the lion share (85%).The preferences of attributes varied across districts and households. The study results revealed that economic attributes of enset production were defined as a function of demographic, socioeconomic and institutional features of the commodity producers. The key attributes identified in the farming system of enset for immediate and long term research and development intervention include food, feed, wrapping, biodiversity, social and natural resource rehabilitation (fertility, soil and water conservation) and fuel benefits. These findings underscore the critical importance of enset and emphasize the urgent need for strong policy and institutional support to ensure optimal utilization and sustainable development.