Enset plant offers potential to combat global hunger

Enset, a plant belonging to the banana family, is a vital staple food for more than 20 million people in Ethiopia. Often referred to by nicknames such as ‘tree against hunger’ or ‘banana on steroids,’ the plant is highly resilient and adaptable to various conditions, yet it remains largely unknown outside of East Africa.

While wild enset grows in several African nations from Sudan to Mozambique, it is cultivated as a crop almost exclusively in the southwestern highlands of Ethiopia at altitudes between 1,500 and 3,000 meters. Unlike common bananas, the fruit of the enset is not edible due to hard black seeds; instead, the plant's underground parts and the starchy mass within the stem are used for nutrition. The material is typically crushed, mixed with yeast, and fermented.

Conservation biologist James Borel, working with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, notes that the plant is significantly undervalued despite its potential to combat global hunger due to its high yield and adaptability compared to major crops like rice, wheat, and maize.