Soil erosion control, soil improver and mulch
Enset is a soil improving crop. As a perennial crop, it does not require tilling and its extensive plant canopy intercepts rainfall: erosion is thus limited. The deep roots increase water infiltration and decrease surface runoff, resulting in more water both in the soil and aquifers. Water volume, availability and duration of discharge to springs are enhanced, thus decreasing the effective length of the dry season (Brandt et al., 1997). In addition, enset culture builds soil organic matter and soil fertility. After corm and pseudostem harvest, enset leaves can be used for mulching thereby enhancing organic matter and soil protection. It has been reported that enset enhances soil fertility to a level greater than those of adjacent fields or pastures (Shank et al., 1996).
Coffee-enset-livestock for sustainable intensification
In the Sidama Midlands, where the cultivation of coffee as a cash crop dramatically reduces grasslands, enset provides valuable crop residues that can be used to feed ruminants, and also provides shade to the coffee plants (Yilma Tsegaye, 2001).