There is a great potential to better utilize prickly pear (Opuntia ficus-indica L., locally known as "Beles"), as a source of food and fodder in the semiarid parts of Northern Ethiopia. The plant grows in the marginalized and drought affected areas of the Eastern and Southern zones of Tigray region in Northern Ethiopia. The rural communities particularly in the Eastern and Southern zones of the region are highly dependent on Opuntia for household consumption and livestock feed, especially during longer drought periods. As other crops are not able to thrive in the harsh environmental conditions, Opuntia in particular is considered as a robust and thus lifesaving crop. Its importance comes from its unique potential to tolerate long periods of drought, poor soil and high temperature. The plant is used both as staple food for domestic use and for generating additional income for the rural poor communities. The plant has diversified local and industrial importance, such as health drinks, fish feed, nutraceuticals, nutraceuticals (natural ingredients and health-promoting foods), nutritional food, baby foods, livestock fodder, and other medicinal importance. There are several untapped possibilities for development of innovative products using this plant which could be an opportunity to improve the livelihood of the rural people in the arid region.
Constraints to the development of the Opuntia for rural development:
The rural communities in the project area have major constraints to meet the National Growth and Transformation Plan (GTP). Some of the constraints are lack of knowledge and skills of local communities in processing and creation of added value agricultural products, lack of investment in processing infrastructure / technology, lack of strategic marketing linkages to traders and processing companies, lack of modern post-harvest handling technology and preservation of agricultural products which lead to high production loss.
