PROJECT SUMMARY

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Enset serves as a primary source of food for over 20 million Ethiopians in the Southern and Southwestern regions of Ethiopia. However, despite the abundance of enset in these regions, its limited use has led to issues such as food insecurity, unemployment, rural-to-urban migration, and poor business and market connections. This collaborative project between Arba Minch University and the Agricultural Transformation Institute (ATI), funded by the South Agricultural Transformation Center, aims to address these challenges by modernizing enset processing and fermentation using accessible and cost-effective machinery across five Ethiopian regions. The objectives include enhancing food security, generating rural employment, and fostering economic development through social entrepreneurship. The project also emphasizes empowering marginalized women and unemployed youth by equipping them with the necessary knowledge and skills to improve food processing, add value to enset products, and establish sustainable agribusinesses with market connections. Specifically, the project will establish pilot enset processing plants in five regions, implement proven processing and fermentation technologies, and provide hands-on training to selected women and youth from these areas. Training will cover various aspects including machine operation, fermentation techniques, product value addition, and standardization. Additionally, the project will address marketing skill gaps by offering training and business development services, along with specialized on-the-job training in partnership with the Bio and Emerging Technology Institute. Overall, the project aims to not only improve the quality of enset-based food products but also create better economic opportunities for women and unemployed youth in the targeted regions.