It’s called enset, and if people can stomach its taste, it could prevent
future famines. Enset is a plant grown in southern Ethiopia which is amazingly
resilient to the effects of drought. The plant, which looks something like a
large single-stemmed banana plant has already helped many Ethiopians survive
the ravages of famine, and perhaps someday it could be grown elsewhere.
A study recently published by the American Association for the Advancement
of Science examined that possibility.
Enset is currently eaten by an estimated 15 million Ethiopians. Unfortunately
at the moment it can only be grown in high altitude areas, requires cattle manure
for fertilization and has to be transplanted up to four times after it reaches
maturity after seven years. The process of turning it into edible food is similarly
difficult, sometimes involving up to 20 years of fermenting.
Still the possibility of a genetically altered or crossbred enset capable of
being grown elsewhere on Africa is prompting the Ethiopian government and others
to sponsor studies of enset.
Sources:
Does Ethiopia have the solution to famine? Michael Kahn.
Ethiopian plant may provide survival from famine. Reuters, May 13, 1998.