Demonstration and popularization of processing, post-harvest handling and utilization of cassava food products in semen Ari Woreda of South Omo Zone, SNNPR

This study aimed to demonstrate and popularize new value-added products of cassava and to provide improved techniques of processing cassava on rural households’ levels in major cassava growing areas of Semen Ari Woreda. From the Woreda two clusters, Arfaro and Mellorasha were selected by using purposive sampling technique. Training manual was developed and Practical training on processing, post-harvest handling, and utilization of cassava flour were given for 20 DAs, 18 Administrators and 181 model Farmers comprising of 121 female farmers and 60 model male farmers. From each cluster 5 kebeles and a total of 10 Kebeles were selected. 30 model respondent farmer households were interviewed about the technology in which 20 are females and 10 are male farmers among 181 total farmers participated in the training. Recipe and Sensory evaluation tests and other relevant data were; collected, analyzed, interpreted, and discussed. Post-harvest handling technology of cassava was about 80% excellent, 13.33% very good and 6.67% good; since the humidity in the study area was very low the product cassava tuber is chopped with a knife in large pieces which were not easily dried with a short period of time, rather it was exposed to perishability. Farmers ranked the preference criteria; Post-harvest handling of technology, Value addition, Processing of technology and Balanced diet as first, second, third and fourth respectively. Farmers preferred cassava Borde, flour, and fossose as first, second and third rank respectively.