Diversification of Livelihoods through Date Palm Production in Agro-Pastoral Areas of Afar Region, Ethiopia

Background - Date palm is the oldest fruit tree which is mostly cultivated in arid and semi-arid areas. This study aims to assess the contribution of date palm production in livelihood promotion of agro-pastoral regions of Afar, Ethiopia. The primary data were generated from questionnaires, interviews, focus group discussions and observation. Date palm producers were selected purposively while individuals were selected randomly from 117 samples households. Secondary data were also used. Results - For the purpose of analysis, descriptive statistics for quantitative and narration for qualitative data were applied for analysis. Date palm production covered about 10-30 % of the food demands of 95,5 % households in the study area where most of the date palm producing households (88,9 %) consumed about 0,25-1,99 gm of date palm per day. Moreover, the primary income source for the majority of date palm producers is obtained from date palm production. Palm trees and its different parts are used to construct houses, bed frames, bridges and especially the leaves are used as a raw material to make baskets, fans, ropes, sacks and other materials. Conclusion - Capacity building on the economic importance and agronomic and management practices of date palm to all stakeholders is recommended.