1 RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT OF VETIVER GRASS (Vetiver. zizanioides,L.) IN

For the last four decades, vetiver has been planted successfully in coffee based cropping system in South West Ethiopia. In 1971, for the first time vetiver grass was introduced by Jimma research Centre, from Yamungi, Tanzania to Ethiopia. The purpose of its introduction was mainly for its oil content. In later years, investigation on the effect of vetiver grass as mulch for coffee was conducted along with other mulch materials. The result clearly demonstrated that vetiver grass was found good mulch material and also was found effective in controlling the expansion of noxious grass called couch grass (Digitaria abyssinica) from plot to plot. In subsequent years, it was distributed out of the research station to the rest of the country by Ministry of Agriculture (MoRAD), nearby coffee state farms, and to NGOs mainly menschen für menschen (German based NGO) with the intension of utilising as soil and water conservation measures to farmers. In addition to mulching vetiver grass has been used as shade for nursery beds and also as roof cover for houses. Besides development activities, a research was undertaken to know the effect of vetiver grass on soil erosion control in coffee based cropping system at Jimma Agricultural Research Center. The experiment was conducted on differen