In the era of globalization until recently, high performance such as high yields and large-scale production may have been important in farming. However, in the age of current permacrisis, resilience and stability may be more sought-after requirement. High yields can be achieved by large-scale farming through the production of global crops such as maize, wheat and rice, which have been strongly promoted by international organizations and national governments. On the other hand, local crops such as millet and root crops, which have been largely neglected by them due to low yields, are often cherished by local small farmers. Now small farmers’ farming of local crops needs to be paid more attention.
Many people tend to associate Ethiopia with famine, but it has never mentioned by the Malo, the mountain farmers of southwestern Ethiopia where the presenter has been conducting anthropological fieldwork. The Malo live over a wide area of about 2,000 meters in altitude range, and their livelihood is centered on subsistence-oriented small farming. They grow more than 100 different crop species, and distinguish many varieties within major crops. The most important of these is enset (Ensete ventricosum), a perennial local crop of the Banana family. The giant corms and other parts of the plant are edible, can be harvested throughout the year and are consumed almost every day in the highlands. It is cultivated as a food crop only in southwestern Ethiopia, a typical local minor crop, although the crop is grown by almost all the Malo households and greatly contribute to their livelihood. Although the importance of this crop has gradually been decreased in the age of globalization, its importance will be reevaluated in the age of permacrisis.
