Identification of Major Crop Production Constraints in Bena-Tsemay District, South Omo Zone, Southern Ethiopia

A survey was carried out during 2016 at Bena-Tsemay district, South Omo zone, SNNPRS, Ethiopia to identify the major crop production constraints. Before the inception of the study, the team made short meeting at JARC for the way of interview and given direction on the sampling method and the data to be collected. Then the whole multidisciplinary team was started the work by collecting secondary data from zonal and woreda respective offices. Discussion was made with woreda respective offices to get information with regard to the important preliminary conditions for the study such as selection of the representative kebele for the district, accessibility of the kebele’s and the general background of the district. Primary data were collected through discussion between the disciplinary based sub-groups and the corresponding farmers’ sub-groups. For the purpose of discussion, the farmers were grouped in to three interviewee sub-groups of plant breeders, agronomists and protection researchers each containing females, youths and male elders with proportionate number and participated in the discussion. The discussion was guided by the checklist prepared by multidisciplinary team at regional level and issues raised during discussion were incorporated. Visual observations were also made at farm level. Upon completion of the sub-group level discussion, information particularly agricultural production and production related constraints identified by each sub-groups of farmers were summarized together. Then, all informant farmers were gathered as one group and summarized series of constraints had been briefed to them and then they ranked the problems by consensus in order of their importance. Based on the study, in Benatsemay woreda there is no improved crop variety and package use, not used improved agronomic practice, serious disease and pests, no market institution, information, linkage, accessibility and weak processing of end product and lack of post-harvest handling and food processing technology on fruit, root and tuber crops. Keywords: Major crop production constraints, Insect pests, Farming system