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 andthe 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

Enhancing integrated approaches in agricultural learning systems using experiences from agroforestry

Small-scale farmers integrate biophysical factors with social, economic, cultural and environmental considerations in managing complex farming systems. This contrasts sharply with universities’ typical organization of knowledge, where reductionist approaches prevail. Such fragmentation leads to graduates with insufficient competence in the analysis of farming systems. Thirty years of agroforestry research have expanded our understanding of complex farming systems and mosaic landscapes. Tools derived from such research can enhance teaching and learning in higher education. Using experiences in Africa and Southeast Asia, this paper argues that agroforestry education contributes to better understanding of integrated production systems – and gradates who are better prepared to advise farmers

Learning agrobiodiversity: options for universities in Sub-Saharan Africa: Proceedings of a regional workshop, 21-23 January 2009, Nairobi, Kenya

Agrobiodiversity needs to enter university curricula in a broader fashion, to prepare graduates for both conserving and using agrobiodiversity sustainably. To tackle this issue, the first regional consultation on agrobiodiversity education in Sub-Saharan Africa was held in January 2009 in Nairobi, Kenya. The workshop featured expert presentations on key aspects of agrobiodiversity, pointing at the knowledge and skills required in graduates. Workshop participants from 16 African and two European countries identified key issues for teaching and learning agrobiodiversity and outlined a framework for integrating the subject in university curricula. An action plan was developed and a task force was assigned to follow up the workshop recommendations

Managing fodder trees as a solution to human-livestock food conflicts and their contribution to income generation for smallholder farmers in southern Africa

Livestock production is an integral part of smallholder farming systems in southern Africa. While goats and sheep play some role in the smallholder farmer household economy, cattle are the predominant livestock species supplying draught power, milk, manure and meat. Production of cattle is based on range grazing. However, the nutritive value of the range is generally low depending on vegetation type and season. With the rapid increase in human population in southern Africa and the increasing need to produce staple food on a sustainable basis, smallholder farmers are increasingly encroaching onto lands formerly reserved for livestock grazing. Therefore, livestock subsisting on the range require supplementation. Conventional bought-in supplements are expensive. Fodder trees and shrubs have been integrated within some farming systems of southern Africa as fodder banks with varying degrees of success. Work carried out in Tanzania, Malawi and Zimbabwe is reviewed to provide evidence on how the fodder tree technology has impacted on livestock production with special reference to smallholder dairy production, human food production and smallholder farmers' income. For the wider adoption of the technology, a synopsis of the different scaling up pathways and approaches adopted by research and development agencies is presente

Teaching agrobiodiversity: a curriculum guide for higher education

In recent years, research has yielded a rapidly growing knowledge base on how agricultural biodiversity is linked to food security, nutrition, livelihoods, environmental sustainability and climate change. It is now urgent to inform higher agricultural education systems accordingly, with a view to integrating such knowledge into curricula. At present, agrobiodiversity courses or programmes are rare or non-existent, according to regional consultations with universities in 2009 and 2010. This book discusses key issues in agrobiodiversity education and presents a curriculum framework of 14 topics central to agrobiodiversity processes, conservation and management. Each topic is briefly introduced along with key learning points, suggested contents, a bibliography and a list of internet resources. The Guide is flexible to fit a range of institutional settings. It suggests suitable entry points for quickly integrating aspects of agrobiodiversity into existing courses. It could be used in formal curriculum reviews and in designing short training courses

Ecological adaptation of the shea butter tree (Vitellaria paradoxa CF. Gaertn.) along climatic gradient in Bénin, West Africa

The ecological adaptation of shea butter trees was assessed based on their dendrometric and production traits in four shea butter tree parks occurring in different climatic zones of Bénin. A total of 99 rectangular plots of 50 × 30 m were established within the four parks according to a random sampling scheme. In each plot, all trees with a diameter at breast height (dbh) >10 cm were inventoried and measured for stem and crown diameters, and total height. The production of 120 productive shea butter trees was quantified. Collected data were used to compute structural parameters for each park. Moreover, stem diameter and height structures of the trees were established. Principal component analysis was performed on the dendrometric variables, and the first three components were correlated with the climatic parameters. Results revealed significant differences between parks in most of the dendrometric and production parameters of shea butter trees. For all the four parks, stem diameter and height structures present a Gaussian shape with left dissymmetry. In the Guinean zone, shea butter trees develop large crowns but produce little quantities of fruits, whereas in the Sudanian regions, the opposite trend was observed

On-farm assessment of legume fallows and other soil fertility management options used by smallholder farmers in Southern Malawi

This study evaluated the performance of tree legumes and other soil fertility management innovations used by farmers. The objectives of the study were to: examine the extent that farm attributes, typology of farmers and field management practices have affected the adaptation and use of agroforestry technologies for soil fertility management and compare the agronomic performance and farmer assessment of agroforestry and other soil fertility management options, across a wide range of farmer types and field conditions, with a view to establishing the contribution of management variables to variations in yield estimation. Maize yield and farmer rating were assessed in Type II (researcher-designed, farmer-managed), Type III (farmer-designed and managed) trials and extension farmers. Results from 152 farmers show that agroforestry increased the yield of maize by 54-76% compared to unfertilized sole maize used as the control. When amended with fertilizer, the yield increase over the control was 73-76% across tree species. This indicates that farmers who had combined agroforestry with inorganic fertilizer experienced increase in maize yield attributable to the synergy between organic and inorganic fertilizer. In gliricidia-maize intercropping, higher maize yield was obtained by farmers who pruned twice. Combination of two prunings and fertilizer use gave the highest yield increase (148%) over the control and the third pruning was superfluous when fertilizer was applied. Without fertilizer, maize yield in agroforestry plots intercropped with pigeon pea was higher than those plots without pigeon pea. Planting date, fertilizer application, use of agroforestry and maize variety explained about 44% of the variation in maize yield on farmers fields