1. THE FARMING SYSTEMS OF
POTATO PRODUCTION AREAS OF
CHENCHA,
SOUTHERN ETHIOPIA
Waga Mazengia1, Rogier Schulte2, Yenenesh Tadese1, Denis Griffin2,
Steffen Schulz3 and Paul C. Struik1
1Wageningen University, Netherlands
2Teagasc, Ireland
3CIP‐Ethiopia

2. 1. Introduction
• Potato has been cultivated since 1858
• Chencha is one of the potato production
• A research‐based development project has been launched
to make Chencha centre of excellence for seed potato
– Vita,
– Teagasc,
– Wageningen University
• One of the aims of the project is
– to ensure sustainability of the farming system while producing
potato
• Therefore, there was a need to know major crop
production systems & bottlenecks

3. 2. Material & Methods
The study area
• Chencha a district in Southern Ethiopia
– Area = 373 km2
– Population density 388 persons km‐2
– Altitude = 2000 to 3000 masl
– Agro‐ecology is classified as
• highland (>2500 masl), 82%
• midland (2000 – 2500 masl), 18%
• minimum to 11 ‐ 13 0C;
• maximum to 18 ‐ 24 0C
• The district has 45 administrative
units (kebeles)

4. 2. Materials & Methods
No
.
Kebeles (areas) No. of
villages
Altitude
(masl)
Agro‐ecological
representation
1 Losha 4 2749 High land
2 Yuera 5 2600 High land
3 Laka 6 2578 High land
4 Gendo Gembela 2 2640 High land
5 Tegecha 4 2250 Mid land
21
• 5 kebeles (1 mid & 4 highland)
• 21 villages

5. 2. Materials & Methods
Farmer selection
• 57 HHs selected randomly
• 9 ‐ 14 HHs from each kebele
Laka Kebele

6. 2. Materials & Methods
Data collection & analysis
• Individual HH interview
• Group discussions
• Secondary data
• Feeling method & visual
observation (soil texture & colour)
• SPSS software

7. 3. Findings

8. Rainfall pattern
• Bimodal (2 seasons)
– 1st season ‐ March ‐ May …… more potato
– 2nd season ‐ June ‐ October

9. • Annual rainfall
– Fluctuate over years
• 830 mm (2003)
• 1679 mm (2006)

10. Types of crops grown
• 28 crop types
– 5 root & tubers
– 6 cereals
– 6 pulses
– 8 vegetable &fruits
– 3 oil & stimulant
crops
• 7 Widely grown
(60-80% HHs)
– potato
– enset
– wheat
– barley
– kale
– faba bean
– apple
• # of crops / HH
– 5 ‐ 14 range
– 7 ‐ 8 most

11. Trend of potato production
• Increasing in area & production
– Replacing
• Plectranthus edulis
• Arisaema schimperianum
• Local potato cultivars
– Reason
• Introduction of new productive varieties

12. Practice of using
improved varieties
• Farmers use improved varieties mainly:
Potato (73%),
Wheat (77%)
Maize (72%)
Barley (21%)
• Rich farmers use more
E.g. potato:
Rich 100%
Medium 86%
Poor 33%
% of respondents
Wealth status
Total
Rich Medium Poor
% n % n % n
Potato 100 17 86 22 33 18 73
Wheat 94 17 82 22 56 18 77
Barley 29 16 27 22 6 18 21
Faba bean 12 16 6 18 0 13 6
Field pea 6 16 0 18 0 13 2
Maize 100 1 50 4 67 3 72

13. Purposes of growing crops
• Potato
– Food & cash (Rich & Medium)
– Food (poor)
Crops Main purpose of
growing
Wealth class
Potato, enset, wheat,
sweet potato
Food & cash Rich & medium
Food Poor
Barley & haricot bean Food All
Vegetables Food & sale Rich & medium
Apple Sale All
• Potato produce
– Food 61%
– Cash 12%
– Seed 27%

14. Purposes of growing crops
Crops
% of respondents by wealth class
Rich Medium Poor
Food
Cash
Food
&Cash
Food
Cash
Food
&Cash
Food
Cash
Food
&Cash
Potato 17 11 72 36 0 64 83 0 17
Enset 17 11 72 36 0 64 83 0 17
Wheat 17 11 72 45 0 55 83 0 17
Barley 56 0 44 77 0 23 94 0 6
Faba Bean 50 0 50 64 0 36 91 0 9
Field Pea 42 0 58 60 0 40 88 0 13
Kale 28 0 72 59 0 41 53 0 47
Apple 0 79 14 0 82 0 0 86 0
• Potato
– Food & cash (Rich & Medium)
– Food (poor)
• Potato produce utilizatn
– Food 61%
– Cash 12%
– Seed 27%

15. Overall importance of crops
• Enset ‐ 1st
• Potato – 2nd &3rd
Crops Ranks by wealth classes Over all
importanceRich (n=17) Medium (n=22) Poor (n=18)
1st 2nd 3rd 4th 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 1st 2nd 3rd 4th
Enset 83 6 6 0 82 5 0 5 89 6 0 0 84 5 2 2
Wheat 6 17 28 28 5 5 27 36 0 11 28 33 3 10 28 33
Barley 0 33 33 17 0 32 27 14 0 56 28 17 0 40 29 16
Potato 6 39 28 17 9 50 23 18 11 17 28 22 9 36 26 19
Maize 6 0 0 0 5 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 2 0
Kale 0 0 0 22 0 0 5 14 0 6 6 17 0 2 3 17
Apple 0 0 6 0 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 0
% HH by wealth classes
Rank Rich
(n=17)
Medium
(n=22)
Poor
(n=18)
Over all
1st 6 9 11 9
2nd 39 50 17 36
3rd 28 23 28 26
4th 17 18 22 19

16. Enset
(Enset ventricosum)

17. Cropping systems
i) Intercropping
– Sole cropping is most common
– Some practices of intercropping
– No potato intercropping
Major intercrops Minor intercrops
Common Less common
Barley Lentil Linseed
Wheat Linseed Linseed & Barley
All major field crops
except field pea
Arisaema
schimperianum
‐
Enset Kale ‐
Apple Kale & garlic Faba bean & barley
Faba bean Field pea ‐
Maize Haricot bean Sweet potato

18. Cropping systems
ii) Double cropping / rotation in a year
– Common
– Different arrangements (34)
– The most common
• Potato ‐ wheat or barley (95% )
• Barley – potato (52%)
Rotating crops
(preceding followed by succeeding
crops)
% of
responden
ts
Rotating crops
(preceding followed by
succeeding crops)
% of
responde
nts
Potato – Potato 3.4 Sorghum – Fallow 1.7
Potato – Wheat/Barley 94.8 Haricot bean – Potato 5.2
Potato – Faba bean/Field pea 20.7 Haricot bean – Wheat/Barley/Tef 6.9
Potato – Maize 1.7 Sweet potato – Potato/Sweet potato 3.4
Potato – Sweet potato 3.4 Sweet potato – Wheat/Barley 5.2
Barley – Potato 51.7 Sweet potato – Maize 3.4
Barley – Wheat/Barley 48.3 Sweet potato – Haricot bean 1.7
Barley – Faba bean/Field pea 41.4 Sweet potato – Fallow 1.7
Barley – Haricot bean 3.4 Tef – Maize/Barley 3.4
Barley – Wheat/Tef 3.4 Tef – Haricot bean 3.4
Barley – Sweet potato 3.4 Fallow – Potato 34.5
Barley Fallow 3 4 Fallow Wheat/Barley 51 7

19. Sowing dates
• Potato
– February 1st season
– End of Aug – mid Sept 2nd season
Crop type Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Enset La
Wheat L
a
GG,
Lo, La
Barley
Potato
Faba bean L
a
GG, Lo
Field pea
Kale
Linseed
Lentil
P. edulis GG Lo
A.schimperi
anum
Cabbage,
carrot, beet
root, onion
& garlic
Trans plant - rain
fed
Raise
seedlings
Trans
plant -
irrigati
on
Raise
seedlin
gsGG, Lo, La La
Apple GG,
Lo
La
Maize Te
Sweet
potato
Te Te Te Te Te Te Te Te Te Te Te Te
Haricotbean Te
Tef Te Te
Sorghum Te
Coffee Te
Potato

20. Seed rates
• Potato = 600 – 1600 kg ha‐1
1800 – 2000 recommendation
Crop type Seed rate (kgha‐1) National
recommendation
Potato 600 – 1600 1800 ‐ 2000
Wheat 88 ‐ 160 125 ‐ 175
Barley 120 ‐ 140
Faba bean 40
Field pea 80
Enset 1 x 1m ‐ 2 x 2m
Sweet potato ‐

21. Maturity dates
• Potato = 3 – 4* months
Maturity
(months)
Potato 3 – 4*
Sweet potato 4 ‐ 6
Wheat 4* ‐5
Triticale 9
Barley 4* ‐ 5
Maize 5‐6
Sorghum 9
Tef 3.5
Faba bean 4* ‐ 5
Field pea 4* ‐ 5
Maturity
(months)
Lentil 4* ‐ 5
Linseed 4* ‐ 5
Haricot bean 3
Enset 36 ‐ 120
Kale, carrot & beet root 3
Onion & garlic
4
Plectranthus edulis
7* ‐ 9
Arisaema
schimperianum 36
Apple 36 ‐ 60
Coffee 36

22. Productivity
• Potato
– 7,000 (local)
– 15,000 (improved)
– 11,000 (Av.)
Crop type Yield (kgha‐1) National productivity (2012)
Potato 11,000 (Av.) 7989 kg/ha
Sweet potato 18,000
Wheat 1,700 (2,600)*
2000
Triticale 1,800
Barley 1,600 – (3690)
Tef (450)
Faba bean 500 – (940)
Field pea 300 – (840)
Apple (6857)
Note: The source of information of figures in parentheses was Chencha OoA, 2012

23. Tillage & weeding frequency
• Potato
– Tillage 4
– Weeding 1 – 3
(row & local planting)
Crop type Ploughing
frequency
Weeding
frequency
Potato 4 1‐3
Sweet potato 3 2
Plectranthus
edulis
1 ‐ 4 2 ‐ 3
Arisaema
schimperianum
1 0
Enset 1 ‐ 3 1 ‐ 2
Wheat 3 ‐ 4 1
Barley 3 ‐ 4 1
Maize 3 2
Tef 4 2
Sorghum 3 1
Haricot bean 3 1
Faba bean 1 ‐ 2 0 ‐ 1
Field pea 1 ‐ 2 1

24. Soil types
• 12 soils types (local classification)
• Abundant
• local classification
– fertility status
– sticky ness
– hardiness to plough
1. Modo 69 % Clay loam to loam
2. Gobo 67 % Clay, clay loam
3. Kalta 50 % Clay

25. 1
2
3
4
Kalta

26. Fertilizer use
• Practice use for crops
– DAP 81%
– Urea 78%
– FYM 97%
– Compost 40%
• Fertilizer use for potato
– Inorganic 60%
– Organic 21%
– Inorga + Orga 19%
– No fertilizer 0%
Crop Fertilizer type & practicing
households (%)
Inorg
anic
organic Inorganic
& organic
No
fertilize
Potato 60 21 19 0
Wheat 50 29 21 0
Barley 19 53 23 5
Enset ‐ 98 ‐ 2
Vegetable &
apple seedling
‐ 66 ‐ 34
Faba bean ‐ 7 ‐ 57
Field pea ‐ 5 ‐ 47
Sweet potato 5 3 ‐ 7
Maize 9 ‐ ‐ 5
Tef 3 12

27. Seed & food sources
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
Own farm Own farm & external
% of households
Fig Sources of seed and food
Source
Seed
Seed
Food
Food

28. Income sources
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Crop Livestock Weaving Trading Selling
labour
Remittance Hiring out
oxen
% of respondents
Income sources
% of households against income sources

29. Constraints of crop production
No. Constraints Remark
1 Crop disease
1. Enset BW
2. Potato LB, BW
3. Wheat Yellow rest (new vars.)
2 Unproductive varieties & shortage of
improved seed supply
3 Un predictable rainfall
4 Decline in soil fertility & high cost of
fertilizers
Continuous cropping &
erosion
5 Insect pests on potato, field pea & kale
6 Land shortage
7 Vertebrate pests (monkeys, apes,
porcupine)

31. 4. Conclusion
• Diverse crop types
• Potato is one of the most important crops
• There are diverse soil types (3 major)
• The main income sources are crop products
including potato

32. 4. Conclusion
• Crop production is constrained with different
challenges that need interventions
1. Pests are very important challenges of potato.
Specific pest types should be further identified &
proper control measures taken
2. Improved seed demands are not addressed.
There is a need to strengthen seed production at local
level

33. 4. Conclusion
2. Soil fertility is declining.
Proper practices should be in place to restore soil
fertility (conservation, fertilizer efficient methods ...)
5. Cash shortage has limited input purchasing power.
Introduction of income generating activities would solve
problems related to cash shortage
6. Farmers grow many crops using different management
practices on small area. However, there is no information
on the efficiency of management practices in terms of
production, economic & labour use. Therefore, there is a
need to know their efficiencies for sustainable production.