Dynamics of the enset-based agroforestry systems in Southwest Ethiopia: insights from enset (Ensete ventricosum) gardens of Kaffa

This study examined the dynamics and diversity of enset-based agroforestry systems in Southwest Ethiopia, with a focus on structure and composition of enset gardens in Kaffa Zone. A total of 240 gardens were assessed from eight locations in Telo and Adiyo districts. The results showed that the enset gardens of Kaffa are basically poly-variety in nature, composed of multiple enset varieties, with some individual gardens hosting up to 16 distinct landraces. The gardens shared a number of structural features in terms of component organization. However, the components such as age, gender, and use groups are not represented equally. The gardens are therefore dynamic in composition. Their dynamic nature arises from the impact of socioeconomic, human, and environmental factors, with the former primarily differentiating clonal variation across gardens. In Kaffa, enset is represented by a large number of intraspecific units; with altogether around 126 named units were recorded. Of these, 82 landraces that have actually grown were recorded in Telo and Adiyo districts, making Kaffa a hub of enset diversity. The Kaffa custom of managing a garden with multiple varieties is seen as a means to safeguard diversity. However, there were many landraces with a narrow distribution and low abundances. Typically, many gardens contain a much larger number of a few cosmopolitan ones, indicating the need for prompt measures to ensure the long-term sustainability of this unique farming in Ethiopia.