Smallholder farmers expand production area of the perennial crop enset as a climate coping strategy in a drought-prone indigenous agrisystem.

Abstract

Abstract Smallholder farms in the semi-arid and sub-humid tropics are particularly vulnerable to increased climate variability. Indigenous agrisystems that have co-evolved with climate variability may have developed resilience strategies. In the Southwest Ethiopian Highlands, agrisystems are dominated by the multipurpose perennial staple enset ( Ensete ventricosum ), which has flexible harvest timing, high yield, long storage, and putative drought tolerance, earning it the name 'tree against hunger'. We tested three hypotheses using crop production area and climate data. First, that enset production area is greatest in the most drought-prone locations. Second, that farmers respond to drought events by increasing enset production area. And third, that drought encourages shifts in agrisystem composition more widely towards perennial or storable crops. We found that regions with a higher severe drought frequency are associated with significantly higher proportion of enset production. Similarly, the Standardised Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index of the previous three years is significantly negatively correlated with enset production time series, suggesting that prior drier conditions led farmers to increase the area under enset production. Regarding other crops, storage crops roots and tubers were also preferentially selected after long-term drought over annual crops, indicating their capacity for longer-term resilience. Promoting the production of crops such as perennials, which have more extensive and established root systems, may be a strategy to ensure food security during drought or climate variability. These results indicate the potential of farmer's resilience strategies to improve food security in a changing climate.