Use the "back" button of your browser to return to the list of abstracts.
TRADITIONAL METHOD OF FERMENTED KOCHO WASHING FORTIFYING ANTHROPOGENIC STRESS ON WATER RESOURCE AND ENSET PLANT IN HADIYA ZONE,ETHIOPIA [Abstract ID: 0608-01]
Traditional methods of producing fermented enset (Ensete ventricosum welw.cheesman) for food – known as kocho – by washing, risks damaging the enset plant and the availability of potable water. The demand for potable water to wash fermented kocho in areas of water scarcity, the need for a large washing area, the drawback of grey water management after washing, are all issues when extracting large amounts of kocho dough (KD) from fibrous pit fermented enset. Unsustainable use of the natural resources, including potable water and enset plants, without replenishing and failing to manage organic waste from fermented kocho washing (FKW) process are all ecosystem hazards and contributors to poverty. The main aim of this research is therefore to assess the impact of traditional methods of processing kocho by FKW on enset plant loss, water demand and the annual amount of discarded fibrous bi-product per hectare, in line with the future market potential of value added kocho flour for prolonged shelf life. A test with a ratio of 1kg of fermented kocho to 4 litres of potable water was conducted accordingbased on the recommendations of women experienced in the process. The result shows that to achieve an annual production of 5,600kg of KD (3,500 kg of sun dried kocho flour) the following natural resources are needed per hectare: 40,000 litres of potable water drained as grey water and 144 mature enset plants, which take 8 years to grow to maturity and are destroyed, leaving 4,400 kg of discarded fibres.