Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
* The UNESCO recent inscription of the Konso Cultural Landscape into the World Heritage List is the reconnaissance of the value of the Konso traditional techniques of terracing, integrated agroforestry system and specific use of indigenous plants, elements that, together, brought Konso people to install themselves successfully in the semi-arid highlands of Southern Ethiopia. The Konso terracing are the best preserved example of an ancient technique once spread in Eastern Africa from Eritrea to Zimbabwe, but abandoned in the recent past for extensive agriculture and the slow, but steady, global migration of people to lower lands. The Konso terracing multiple functions include: a sophisticated water control, efficient soil conservation and the hosting on terracing of a variety of plants, including woody perennials and herbaceous, that is known as agroforestry.
Konso
www.konsoculturalcentre.org www.konsoculturallandscape.org
Moringa Stenopetala
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Moringa stenopetala is an autochthonous tree from the dry lands of southern Ethiopia. Konso domesticated it into their famous terracing system, because the leaves they daily consume provide them with vitamins A, B and C. The leaves are rich in proteins and minerals like iron, so that their powder is worldwide used as integrator for children under weight and mothers after pregnancy. The Moringa is believed to have a positive effect against high blood pressure and diabetes. The Konso Cultural Centre is actively working to better organize its production, assuring hygienic standards, a fair distribution of profit among the production cooperatives, along with the organization of events to promote the knowledge on the plant and its uses in Ethiopia.