Participatory Rural Appraisal on Striga in the Northern Ethiopian Highlands

Abstract

A participatory rural appraisal on Striga was conducted during Febrary-March 1996 in the northern Ethiopian highlands. The main objective was to provide information on the farming systems, Striga status and control methods. A total of 108 farmers were interviewed and they identified Striga as one of the major constraints to increasing agricultural productivity. Most farmers are aware that Striga is found in nutrient depleted soils and that improved soil fertility alleviated the problem. They identified cultivation, stored grain, crop residues, erosion runoff, livestock and man as Striga dispersal methods. Fallowing, intercropping and crop rotation with trap crops are not practiced in the area are hand pulling, ox-plow cultivation and use of manure close to the homestead. Long-term research efforts should be directed towards reducing the Striga seed bank in the soil, integrated nutrient management strategies, cropping systems and multipurpose trees that improve soil fertility, decrease weeds, pests and the incidence of plant diseases. Breeding and screening for resistant cereal varieties should be conducted. The development of integrated control measures will require a farming systems approach in order to identify problem areas and the types of control measures that are likely to be acceptable to the farmers.