Phytochemical composition and bio-functional properties of Apis mellifera propolis from Kenya

There is an increased demand for natural products like propolis, yet little information is available about the chemical composition of African propolis and its bio-functional properties. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to quantify the phytochemicals and determine the antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of Apis mellifera propolis (n = 59) sourced from various regions in Kenya. Principal component analysis (PCA) showed that the sampling region had a remarkable impact on the propolis's composition and bio-functional properties. Generally, the propolis contained high amounts of phytochemicals, particularly alkaloids (5.76 g CE/100 g) and phenols (2.24 g GAE/100 g). Furthermore, analysis of propolis by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) revealed various compounds with varying bio-functional activities. These compounds included triterpenoids alpha- and beta-amyrin, oleanen-3-yl-acetate, urs-12-en-24-oic acid, lanosta-8,24-dien-3-one, and hydrocarbons tricosane and nondecane, which have been reported to have either antimicrobial or antioxidant activities. The propolis samples collected from hotter climatic conditions contained a higher composition of phytochemicals, and additionally, they displayed higher antioxidant and antimicrobial activities than those obtained from cooler climatic conditions. Key findings of this study demonstrate the occurrence of relatively high phytochemical content in Kenya's propolis, which has antioxidant and antimicrobial properties; hence this potential could be harnessed for disease control

Assessing the downstream socioeconomic impacts of agroforestry in Kenya

Agroforestry is widely purported to improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers, rehabilitate degraded landscapes, and enhance the provisioning of ecosystem services. Yet, evidence supporting these longer-term impacts is limited. Using a quasi-experimental impact evaluation design informed by a theory-based and mixed methods framework, we investigated selected intermediate and final outcomes of a nine-year effort led by Vi Agroforestry, a Swedish non-governmental organization (NGO), to promote agroforestry in large sections of Bungoma and Kakamega counties in western Kenya. We compared households belonging to 432 pre-existing farmer groups operating in 60 program villages and 61 matched comparison villages. To address potential self-selection bias, we used program targeting as an instrument for program participation, combined with the difference-in-differences approach to control for time-invariant differences between our treatment and comparison groups. We complemented the above with semi-structured interviews with a sub-sample of 40 purposively selected program participants. Despite evidence of variable program exposure and agroforestry uptake, we found modest, yet statistically significant, effects of Vi Agroforestry’s program on intermediate outcomes, such as agroforestry product income, fuelwood access, and milk yields among dairy farmers. We also found that this program modestly increased asset holdings, particularly among households represented by female program participants

Regreening Africa: Consolidated Baseline Survey Report

The United Nations General Assembly declared 2021 to 2030 as the decade of ‘ecosystem restoration’, signalling a global consensus on the urgency to restore degraded lands. Restoring degraded lands is critical to regain lost ecological functionality that underpins life-sustaining ecosystem services, such as the provision of food, fresh water, and fibre, and the regulation of climate, natural disasters, and pests. Indeed, restoration is fundamental for meeting the triple goals of tackling the climate crisis, reversing biodiversity loss, and improving human wellbeing. Regreening Africa (2017 to 2022) is part of a larger global and regional effort to reverse and halt land degradation, which is being implemented in eight African countries: Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, and Somalia