Empirical Study on Apple Production, Marketing and its Contribution to Household Income in Chencha District of Southern Ethiopia

Apple is a temperate climate fruit tree. The introduction of apple tree to Ethiopia is traced back to 1950s. However, apple production has been low and concentrated in Chencha district forcing the country to importation to meet the national demand. This study, therefore, intends to analyze the current apple production and marketing chain to enhance household food security in chencha district of southwest Ethiopia. Mixed non-experimental study was conducted in eight randomly selected kebeles using structured pre- tested questionnaire administered on 257 systematically drawn farm households in the district. Series group discussions, key informant interviews, institutional analysis and field observations were also held in the sampled kebeles to extract qualitative data of the study. The study has shown that apple production and productivity was low due to limited cultivation, poor agronomic practices, shortage of grafting and pruning materials, shortage of trained experts and poor research-extension and development linkage. The apple tree population was unevenly distributed among producers where few