2.1. Description of the study area

This study was conducted in Bench-Sheko, Kaffa, Sheka, and West-Omo zones of SNNPR (Figure 1). Kaffa is one of the administrative zones within the SNNPRS and is bordered at the south by Debub Omo, at the southwest by Bench-Sheko, at the west by Sheka, at the north by the Oromia Region, and at the east by Konta. Gojeb River runs along part of the northern border of this zone. The administrative center of Kaffa is Bonga. The total population of the zone in the year 2017 was estimated to reach 1,102,278. Out of the total population 49.14% and 50.86% are male and female respectively (CSA, 2013).

Description of the study area.

Former Bench Maji (Bench- Sheko and West-Omo zones) bordered at the south by the Ilemi Triangle, at the west by South Sudan, at the northwest by the Gambela Region, at the north by Sheka, at the northeast by Kaffa, and at the east by Debub Omo. The administrative center of Bench-Sheko is Mizan Aman. Bench Sheko Zone is located at a latitude from 5°.33 to 7°.21 N and longitudes from 34°.88 to 36°.14 E with an elevation ranging from 1200 to 1959 m above sea level. The average annual rainfall ranging from one thousand five hundred millimeters to one thousand eight hundred millimeters (an average of one thousand six hundred ninety-two millimeters) per year and has a fifty-degree centigrade to a twenty-seven-degree centigrade range of temperature annually. The main food crops in this zone include Maize, Taro, and Enset. Cash crops include fruits (Bananas, Pineapples, and Oranges) and spices (e.g. Coriander and Ginger); Honey is also an important local source of income. However, Coffee is the primary cash crop. The total population of the zone in the year 2017 was estimated to reach 847,168. Out of the total population 49.31% and 50.69% are male and female respectively (CSA, 2013).

Sheka is a zone in the Southern, Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region (SNNPR). Sheka is bordered on the south by Bench-Sheko, on the west by the Gambela Region, on the north by the Oromia Region, and on the east by Kaffa. The administrative center of Sheka is Masha. It lies between 7°24‟to 7°52‟ N, 35°13‟to 35°35‟ E, and 900 to 2700 masl. The zone covers about 2175.25 km², out of which 47% is covered by forest, and 56, 24, and 20% is a highland, amid altitude and lowland, respectively. It receives high amounts of rainfall, with an average of one thousand eight hundred millimeters to two thousand two hundred millimeters per annum. The total population of the zone in the year 2017 was estimated to reach 269,243. Out of the total population 50.30% and 49.70% are male and female respectively (CSA, 2013).