Domestication and improvement of traditionally used wild indigenous fruit trees hold great promise in agroforestry development. Strychnos cocculoides is a wild indigenous fruit tree that was ranked third by farmers and is one of the priority species chosen for domestication in southern Africa. This study was conducted with the objective of determining the variability in fruit, seed and germination characteristics of four populations of Strychnos cocculoides collected from Zambia. Results showed significant differences (P 0.05) in the number of seeds per fruit within and between the provenances. In contrast, the seed weight was significantly different (P < 0.05) within and between provenances. The heaviest seeds were found in the heaviest fruits — Kalulushi while the lightest were found in Serenje provenance. Fruit weight was positively correlated with pulp weight (P < 0.001, r = 0.70), pericarp weight (P < 0.001, r = 0.54) and seed weight (P < 0.001, r = 0.76). The provenances differed significantly (P < 0.05) in cumulative germination percentage, ranging from 56 (Kalulushi) to 83 (Kasama).
Tag: indigenous varieties
Income and labour productivity of collection and use of indigenous fruit tree products in Zimbabwe
Rural people in Africa periodically rely on wild fruits to supplement their diet and to generate cash income. However, scientific evidence on the economics of using indigenous fruit tree (IFT) products is scarce. The objective of the study was to fill in some of the gaps for which farm-household surveys were conducted in Zimbabwe during 1999–2000. Gross margins and returns to labour in collection, use and sale of products of Uapaca kirkiana (Muell. Arg., Wild Loquat), Strychnos sp. (S. cocculoides (Baker) and S. spinosa (Lam.), Monkey Orange) and Parinari curatellifolia (Planch. ex. Benth., Fever Tree) were compared with other farming activities. A random sample of over three hundred households in the Murehwa Communal and the Takawira Resettlement Areas was interviewed to gather income and expenditure data. Additionally, income, expenditure and labour allocation of 39 households were closely monitored for one year. Results indicated that the majority of rural households benefited from consumption and sale of indigenous (IF), although the extent varied among households. Within the households, children were the main consumers of fruits. Marketing of IF are carried out by women who used the receipts to purchase household goods. While U. kirkiana fruits were more important in generating cash income than others, fruits of P. curatellifoliawere important for home consumption during periods of food shortages. The gross margins for collection of IFT products were lower than for livestock and crop production. However, returns to labour from collection and use of IFT products were considerably greater than from other activities including gardening and livestock rearing. The study indicates that collection of IFT products is an efficient labour allocation strategy in Zimbabwe.
Evidence that subsistence farmers have domesticated indigenous fruits (Dacryodes edulis and Irvingia gabonensis) in Cameroon and Nigeria
Ten fruit and kernel traits were measured in 152 Irvingia gabonensis and 293 Dacryodes edulis trees from 6 villages in Cameroon and Nigeria. Frequency distribution curves were used to examine the range of variation of each trait of each species in each village and aggregated into national and regional populations. There were differences between the village sub-populations, with regard to the normality (e.g., mean kernel mass of D. edulis) or skewness (e.g., mean flesh depth of D. edulis) of the distribution curves and in the degree of separation between the individual village populations along the x axis, resulting in the development of a bimodal distribution in the regional population. For all traits, populations of both species differed significantly between countries, but only in D. edulis were there significant differences between the Cameroon populations. On the basis of the results of this study, D. edulis can be said to be virtually wild in Nigeria but semi-domesticated in Cameroon, while I. gabonensis is wild in Cameroon and semi-domesticated in Nigeria. These results are discussed with regard to a hypothesis that the range and frequency of variation in the different populations can be used to identify five stages of domestication. From a comparison of the frequency distribution curves of desirable versus undesirable traits, and statistically identifyable changes in skewness and kurtosis, it is concluded that as a result of the farmers’ own efforts by truncated selection, D. edulis is between Stages 2 and 3 of domestication (with a 67% relative gain in flesh depth) in Cameroon, while I. gabonensis in Nigeria is at Stage 2 (with a 44% relative gain in flesh depth). In this study, genetic diversity seems to have been increased, and not reduced, by domestication.
An economic evaluation of medicinal tree cultivation: Prunus africana in Cameroon
Wild populations of the Afromontane forest tree Prunus africana (Rosaceae), known as the African Cherry or Red Stinkwood (sometimes called Pygeum africanum) are currently the sole source of bark and bark extract exported from Africa and Madagascar to Europe. This trade has taken place for nearly 30 years, for production of at least 19 different herbal preparations sold by 23 companies based primarily in Europe, but also in North and South America. These are used to treat benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH), a common disease in older men. This account provides an interesting case-study of a medicinal species which is in transition from wild harvest to cultivated sources of supply. It also illustrates the ‘ecological footprint’ of Europe on African forests, and upon a medicinal resource within them. Bark exploitation has caused serious damage to wild populations of Prunus africana, including trees inside forests of high conservation value in Madagascar and Cameroon. Because of the difficulty of implementing and enforcing conservation measures or developing local institutions to do so, sustainable bark harvesting of remaining wild stocks by local communities is considered unlikely in Cameroon and in Madagascar. For these reasons, cultivation has been suggested as an alternative source of bark production. This study investigated the economic feasibility of different planting systems (enrichment planting, small-scale farming and plantations) for Prunus africana cultivation. As part of this process, we investigated Prunus Africana bark production and growth rates, finding statistically significant correlations between bark thickness, diameter at breast height (dbh) and tree height. Prunus africana showed rapid growth, reaching 14m high and 37cm dbh in 18 years. Results of a comparison between the flow of costs and benefits from small-scale production of Prunus africana and Eucalyptus camaldulensis show that Eucalyptus camaldulensis cultivation is 30% more profitable than Prunus Africana production. But there are reasons why farmers might rather invest in Prunus africana instead of, or in addition to, Eucalyptus trees: Prunus africana is highly valued as an ingredient in many local medicinal treatments, it is used in making tools such as hoes and axes, and it is a good source of poles and firewood. Moreover, farmers and field observation indicated that with the possible exception of maize, crop yield is not much affected by the presence of Prunus africana in the fields. This contrasts with the depressive effect of Eucalyptus trees on crop yields. In North West Province, Cameroon, at least 3,500 farmers are already planting Prunus africana. Bark price is affected by moisture content, distance from the factory and the monopoly, which the company has had on export of bark and bark extract. This study determined bark moisture content to be 42-50%. In rural Cameroon, intermediaries only pay 70 FCFA (0.14 US$) per kg of Prunus africana bark, equivalent to about US$ 142 per ton of fresh bark. At the factory gate, bark sells for 104-270 FCFA francs per kg (in 1994, 1 US$ = 490 CFA), depending on bark moisture content and quality, equivalent to US$ 212 – 551 per ton. Higher prices were paid for bark in Cameroon in 1994, when an Italian company paid 250 FCFA francs/kg, regardless of bark moisture content (US$510 per ton of fresh bark). In Kenya, the price paid to the exporter was considerably higher (11 French francs (US$ 2) per kg). This is equivalent to a price of US$ 2,000 per ton of fresh bark. By comparison, the price for fresh bark of the black wattle, Acacia mearnsii, which is cultivated for its tannin- rich bark, was US$ 94 per ton. On the basis of this study, we recommend clarification of Cameroon forestry law to enable farmers to sell bark from Prunus africana trees they cultivate, that information on the best methods for Prunus africana cultivation from seed be provided to farmers, more competitive bark prices that reflect the international market value of this product, and the initiation of an out-grower scheme with the involvement of the pharmaceutical company that buys the bark and has a monopoly on the export of bark extract.
Prioritization of tree species for agroforestry systems in the lowland Amazon forests of Peru
An analysis was made of information provided by farmers about products and services of tree species, and the preferred tree species for agroforestry systems in the Yurimaguas, Pucallpa and Iquitos areas of Peru. The methodology of the study was based on a process developed by the International Centre for Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF) and the International Service for National Agricultural Research (ISNAR), with modifications to adapt it to the study area. Farmers selected 58 species in Yurimaguas, 62 in Pucallpa and 100 in Iquitos; the selections included 41 plant families. Considering the number of species preferred by farmers and the number of people surveyed, farmers in the Yurimaguas area appeared to have greater knowledge about trees than farmers in the other 2 areas. Some 23 priory species in 17 families were selected for the development of agroforestry systems for this tropical humid lowland zone. The priority products of these 23 species are wood, energy and food. The highest-priority species for genetic improvement research for agroforestry systems are Bactris gasipaes, Cedrelinga catenaeformis, Inga edulis, Calycophyllum spruceanum and Guazuma crinita.
Prosopis africana in the Sahel – the last stand?
Abstract not found
Farmer to farmer extension of livestock feed technologies in Rwanda: a survey of volunteer farmer trainers and organizations
This report presents the results of a study that was undertaken in Rwanda to determine the effectiveness of the volunteer farmer trainer (VFT) approach in the dissemination of livestock feed technologies in the East Africa Dairy Development (EADD) Project. This is in light of the fact that public sector extension services are no longer able to adequately provide extension services due to budgetary constraints facing most developing countries. As a result, new approaches and mechanisms are being developed to fill the gap. One such approach is the VFT approach. It is a form of farmer-to-farmer extension (FFE) where volunteer farmers are recruited, trained and they in turn train other farmers on improved agricultural practices. This approach has been in use by the EADD project in Rwanda since its inception in 2008; however scanty information has been documented about the performance of VFTs; hence this study which examined VFTs’ perceptions, motivations, dissemination activities, competence and challenges they face. The study was undertaken in three districts of Rwanda: Rwamagana, Gatsibo and Nyagatare. They are located in the eastern province. A total of 86 VFTs from 17 dairy farmer cooperative societies, a third of whom were women, were interviewed using a structured questionnaire.
The domestication and commercialization of indigenous trees in agroforestry for the alleviation of poverty
New initiatives in agroforestry are seeking to integrate into tropical farming systems indigenous trees whose products have traditionally been gathered from natural forests. This is being done in order to provide marketable products from farms that will generate cash for resource-poor rural and peri-urban households. This poverty-alleviating agroforestry strategy is at the same time linked to one in which perennial, biologically diverse and complex mature-stage agroecosystems are developed as sustainable alternatives to slash-and-burn agriculture.One important component of this approach is the domestication of the local tree species that have commercial potential in local, regional or even international markets. Because of the number of potential candidate species for domestication, one crucial first step is the identification of priority species and the formulation of a domestication strategy that is appropriate to the use, marketability and genetic potential of each species.For most of these hitherto wild species little or no formal research has been carried out to assess their food value, potential for genetic improvement or reproductive biology. To date their marketability can only be assessed by their position in the local rural and urban marketplaces, since few have attracted international commercial interest. To meet the objective of poverty alleviation, however, it is crucial that market expansion and creation are possible, hence for example it is important to determine which marketable traits are amenable to genetic improvement. While some traits that are relatively easy to identify do benefit the farmer, there are undoubtedly others that are important to the food, pharmaceutical or other industries that require more sophisticated evaluation.This paper presents the current thinking and strategies of ICRAF in this new area of work and draws on examples from our program.
Domesticating indigenous fruit trees for agroforestry
As new exotic fruits are being introduced to consumers in the North, domestication of lesser-known, indigenous fruits for tropical subsistence farmers receives an additional perspective. Domestication of indigenous fruits is part of a strategy to improve human nutrition in rural areas and to “put money into farmers’ pockets” in order to improve their living conditions. It is an integrated strategy that involves dissemination of information and germplasm following research on identification, production, management and adoption of desirable germplasm. The different strategies for two species, Uapaca kirkiana and Bactris gasipaes, are presented. U. kirkiana is a dioecious tree whose fruits are widely eaten throughout southern Africa, but are only traded locally. B. gasipaes is a palm species with considerable importance in Central and South America. Through a long history of use by indigenous people, the species now has a complex of distinct landraces. Its market is mainly regional, but two of its products, fresh and canned heart-of-palm, are being commercialized in North America and Europe. With growing markets, improved production of both species could help improve the local farmers’ conditions. Germplasm collections of both species have been conducted and genetic trials established in a number of countries. Vegetative propagation is a key technique to support the genetic selection. Current research on grafting of U. kirkiana and on the induction of adventitious shoot production in B. gasipaes is presented.
A decision support tool for propagating miombo indigenous fruit trees of southern Africa
Indigenous fruit trees (IFTs) contribute to the livelihoods of rural households as sources of food, income and medicine. Conservation and domestication of IFTs involve germplasm selection, collection, multiplication and evaluation. In addition, biodiversity and genetic improvements have been realized through propagation. However, there are numerous challenges when propagating indigenous trees and the choice of appropriate propagation techniques determines the success of domestication programme. In this paper we synthesize different propagation methods used for indigenous fruit trees, and propose a decision support tool based on desirable attributes of individual IFT, technical requirements, expertise of the propagators and relative cost of implementing the technology in addition to field performance and tree management. Depending on circumstances, this decision support tool can be used to quickly choose a propagation method for a given fruit tree so as to maximize on germplasm collection, multiplication and evaluation without compromising field performance and management of the fruit trees.