Comparative studies on Ensete livelihood systems in southwestern Ethiopia: Area studies approach

本研究项目旨在全面了解埃塞俄比亚高原西南部阿里地区发展起来的恩塞特生计系统（ELS）。在南奥莫区的一个村庄收集了关于以下主题的基本数据：劳动力投入和分配、外部资源投入、原油产量和总能量。还记录了消费、加工、销售和国内分销的数量。这些数据集用于单位面积生产率和劳动投入的初步估计。这些关于生产力的数据旨在将其效果与土壤和植被等环境保护进行比较。为了验证这一假设-ELS比埃塞俄比亚高地的谷物农业综合体更环保-，为谷物领域（如高粱，大麦，画眉草，小麦和迷宫）的生产力准备了类似的定量数据集。通过与其他系统的比较，评价了ELS在土壤肥力和承载力方面的环境保护潜力。在项目的后半部分，我们尝试了基于南奥莫数据集的ELS承载能力的估计。我们还试图扩大与乌干达马托克香蕉农业综合体的其他生计系统的比较范围。基本数据集是在东非高地乌干达的甘达地区收集的。在该项目的最后一年，我们组织了一个题为“亚洲和非洲香蕉和ENSET地区的制作”的国际研讨会，乌干达香蕉研究人员和埃塞俄比亚ENSET研究人员参加了研讨会。在研讨会上，决定制定芭蕉科（香蕉科）作物比较生计研究国际论坛。

This research project aims at the full understanding of Ensete Livelihood Systems (ELS) that developed in Ari area of southwestern part of Ethiopian highlands. Basic data collections were made at a village in South Omo zone on the following topics: labor input and distribution, outer resource input, crude yield and total energy. The amounts of consumption, processing, sales and domestic distribution are also recorded. These data set are used for the preliminary estimations of the productivity per unit of area and that of labor input. These data on the productivities are intended to compare their effects against the environmental conservation such as soil and vegetation. To test the hypothesis-ELS is environmentally more friendly than cereal farming complex in Ethiopian highlands-, similar quantitative data set was prepared for the productivities of cereal fields such as sorghum, barley, teff, wheat and maze. Through these comparisons with other systems, evaluation was made on the potential of ELS for environmental conservation in terms of soil fertility and carrying capacity. In the latter part of the project, we attempted an estimation of carrying capacity of ELS based on the South Omo data set. We also tried to expand the scope of comparison to the other livelihood system based on Matoke banana agricultural complex in Uganda. Basic data set was collected at Ganda area in Uganda of the East African Highland. In the final year of the project, we organized an international workshop titled as "The making of Banana and Enset areas in Asia and Africa" in which Ugandan banana researchers and Ethiopian enset researchers participated. In the workshop, international forum for Musaceae (banana familiy) crops of the comparative livelihood studies is decided to formulate.