The Role of Food from Natural Resources in Reducing Vulnerability to Poverty: A Case Study from Zimbabwe

Vulnerability to poverty is a major problem in the rural areas of Sub Saharan Africa. Rural Households are confronted with various covariate and idiosyncratic shocks and are often severely constrained in coping with such events. They frequently resort to food from natural resources such as indigenous fruits during times of crisis. The availability of such food sources is increasingly at risk due to deforestation and biodiversity loss. The objective of this paper is to quantify the contribution of indigenous fruit trees towards reducing vulnerability to food insecurity and poverty. The methodology used is a multi-period stochastic household income model. The data were collected in a case study in Zimbabwe using detailed monthly income and expenditure records of a sample of 39 rural households in two areas. The two regions differ in their agricultural system. In one area horticulture, off-farm activities and exotic fruits are a major source of income while in the other area indigenous fruits are a more important source of income. This paper concentrates on the latter area. Model calculations show that rural households in Zimbabwe are highly vulnerable to seasonal fluctuations in income and therefore a critical period where households run high risk of being food insecure can be identified. While indigenous fruits, as a low cost 1 International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE), Nairobi, Kenya, [email protected] (for merly 2 & 3). 2 Development and Agricultural Economics, Faculty of Econo mics and Business Administration, Hannover University, Germany. 3 World Agrofore stry Centre (ICRAF), Lilongwe, Malawi. natural resource, can facilitate income-smoothing, the role of other sources of income must not be neglected. The paper concludes that diversified season-specific income generating portfolios must be designed of which indigenous fruit trees have a role to play.Vulnerability, poverty, food security, seasonal fluctuations, wild food resources, Zimbabwe, Food Security and Poverty,

What Impact Are EU Supermarket Standards Having on Developing Countries Export of High-Value Horticultural Products? Evidence from Kenya

European Union (EU) retailers are setting global benchmarks for the production of fresh food, and are asking their suppliers for produce to be certified according to food safety and quality standards. Compliance to these standards for developing countries small-scale producers entail costly investment in variable inputs and long term structures. Limited empirical evidence exists either to refute or confirm the concern that the proliferation and enhanced stringency of these standards marginalize smallholders from global market. This article therefore explores the costs of compliance, factors explaining the smallholder decision to adopt EU private quality standard and the impacts of the standard on farm financial performance. We develop a two-stage standard treatment effect model to account for self-selection as a source of endogeneity. Analysis is based on a random cross section sample of 439 small-scale export vegetable producers in Kenya whose production was monitored in 2005/2006. We demonstrate that adopters and non-adopters are distinguishable by their asset holding and household wealth, access to services, labor endowment and level of education. Once we control for endogeneity problem, we found that small-scale producers can benefit substantially from adopting the standard at the farm level.Kenya, export vegetables, adoption, EurepGAP standard, impact assessment, International Relations/Trade,

Marketing of baobab pulp in Kenya: Collectors’ choice of rural versus urban markets

Baobab products provide cash income and supplement diets for local communities living in marginalised, arid and semi-arid regions. However, these products are neglected by research, selectively traded and considered underutilised. This study endeavours to narrow this information gap by analysing the determinants of baobab collectors’ choice of marketing channels in Kenya. A multinomial logit was employed, using a dataset of 268 baobab collectors from three counties. The results show that the majority of baobab collectors sell their baobab pulp through rural markets (assemblers and rural wholesalers), as opposed to urban buyers (urban wholesalers, retailers and processors). Export channels are conspicuously missing from the chain. Human capital and transactional and institutional factors significantly influence the collectors’ choice of marketing channels. The results reveal that building capacity around market development, research and education, road networks and institutional services is essential to create more profitable channels for generating income, enhancing food security and reducing malnutrition

Expression of the Arabidopsis thaliana immune receptor EFR in Medicago truncatula reduces infection by a root pathogenic bacterium, but not nitrogen‐fixing rhizobial symbiosis

Interfamily transfer of plant pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) represents a promising biotechnological approach to engineer broad‐spectrum, and potentially durable, disease resistance in crops. It is however unclear whether new recognition specificities to given pathogen‐associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) affect the interaction of the recipient plant with beneficial microbes. To test this in a direct reductionist approach, we transferred the Brassicaceae‐specific PRR ELONGATION FACTOR‐THERMO UNSTABLE RECEPTOR (EFR), conferring recognition of the bacterial EF‐Tu protein, from Arabidopsis thaliana to the legume Medicago truncatula. Constitutive EFR expression led to EFR accumulation and activation of immune responses upon treatment with the EF‐Tu‐derived elf18 peptide in leaves and roots. The interaction of M. truncatula with the bacterial symbiont Sinorhizobium meliloti is characterized by the formation of root nodules that fix atmospheric nitrogen. Although nodule numbers were slightly reduced at an early stage of the infection in EFR‐Medicago when compared to control lines, nodulation was similar in all lines at later stages. Furthermore, nodule colonization by rhizobia, and nitrogen fixation were not compromised by EFR expression. Importantly, the M. truncatula lines expressing EFR were substantially more resistant to the root bacterial pathogen Ralstonia solanacearum. Our data suggest that the transfer of EFR to M. truncatula does not impede root nodule symbiosis, but has a positive impact on disease resistance against a bacterial pathogen. In addition, our results indicate that Rhizobium can either avoid PAMP recognition during the infection process, or is able to actively suppress immune signaling

Brevicoryne brassicae aphids interfere with transcriptome responses of Arabidopsis thaliana to feeding by Plutella xylostella caterpillars in a density‑dependent manner

Plants are commonly attacked by multiple herbivorous species. Yet, little is known about transcriptional patterns underlying plant responses to multiple insect attackers feeding simultaneously. Here, we assessed= transcriptomic responses of Arabidopsis thaliana plants to simultaneous feeding by Plutella xylostella caterpillars and Brevicoryne brassicae aphids in comparison to plants infested by P. xylostella caterpillars alone, using microarray analysis. We particularly investigated how aphid feeding interferes with the transcriptomic response to P. xylostella caterpillars and whether this interference is dependent on aphid density and time since aphid attack. Various JA-responsive genes were up-regulated in response to feeding by P. xylostella caterpillars. The additional presence of aphids, both at low and high densities, clearly affected the transcriptional plant response to caterpillars. Interestingly, some important modulators of plant defense signalling, including WRKY transcription factor genes and ABA-dependent genes, were differentially induced in response to simultaneous aphid feeding at low or high density compared with responses to P. xylostella caterpillars feeding alone. Furthermore, aphids affected the P. xylostella-induced transcriptomic response in a density dependent manner, which caused an acceleration in plant response against dual insect attack at high aphid density compared to dual insect attack at low aphid density. In conclusion, our study provides evidence that aphids influence the caterpillar-induced transcriptional response of A. thaliana in a density-dependent manner. It highlights the importance of addressing insect density to understand how plant responses to single attackers interfere with responses to other attackers and thus underlines the importance of the dynamics of transcriptional plant responses to multiple herbivory

Hormone Changes in Tolerant and Susceptible Grapevine Leaves Under Powdery Mildew Infection

The biotrophic fungus Erysiphe necator causes powdery mildew (PM) in grapevine. Phytohormones are major modulators of defensive responses in plants but the analysis of the hormonome associated with grapevine tolerance and susceptibility against this pathogen has not been elucidated. In this study, changes in hormonal profiling were compared between a tolerant (Vitis rupestris × riparia cv. 101-14 Millardet et de Grasset) and a susceptible (Vitis vinifera cv. Aragonêz) species upon E. necator infection. Control and PM-infected leaves were collected at 0, 6, 24, 96 h post-infection (hpi), and analysed through LC-MS/MS. The results showed a distinct constitutive hormonome between tolerant and susceptible species. Constitutive high levels of salicylic acid (SA) and indole-3- acetic acid together with additional fast induction of SA within the first 6 hpi as well as constitutive low levels of jasmonates and abscisic acid may enable a faster and more efficient response towards the PM. The balance among the different phytohormones seems to be species-specific and fundamental in providing tolerance or susceptibility. These insights may be used to develop strategies for conventional breeding and/or editing of genes involved in hormonal metabolism aiming at providing a durable resistance in grapevine against E. necatorinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

GABA operates upstream of H+-ATPase and improves salinity tolerance in Arabidopsis by enabling cytosolic K+ retention and Na+ exclusion

The non-protein amino acid γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) rapidly accumulates in plant tissues in response to salinity. However, the physiological rationale for this elevation remains elusive. This study compared electrophysiological and whole-plant responses of salt-treated Arabidopsis mutants pop2-5 and gad1,2, which have different abilities to accumulate GABA. The pop2-5 mutant, which was able to overaccumulate GABA in its roots, showed a salt-tolerant phenotype. On the contrary, the gad1,2 mutant, lacking the ability to convert glutamate to GABA, showed oversensitivity to salinity. The greater salinity tolerance of the pop2-5 line was explained by: (i) the role of GABA in stress-induced activation of H+-ATPase, thus leading to better membrane potential maintenance and reduced stress-induced K+ leak from roots; (ii) reduced rates of net Na+ uptake; (iii) higher expression of SOS1 and NHX1 genes in the leaves, which contributed to reducing Na+ concentration in the cytoplasm by excluding Na+ to apoplast and sequestering Na+ in the vacuoles; (iv) a lower rate of H2O2 production and reduced reactive oxygen species-inducible K+ efflux from root epidermis; and (v) better K+ retention in the shoot associated with the lower expression level of GORK channels in plant leaves

Guides for value chain development: A comparative review

With governments, donors and NGOs advocating value chain development (VCD) as a means to stimulate economic growth and combat rural poverty, this report presents a timely review of 11 guides for VCD. It compares concepts and methods, and assesses the strengths and limitations of the guides for steering development practice. The authors suggest three crucial areas for debate: means to address the needs of the poor in value chains, tools to help deepen analysis, and mechanisms for mutual learning. The report concludes with key recommendations

Pre-symptomatic modified phytohormone profile is associated with lower phytoplasma titres in an Arabidopsis seor1ko line

The proteins AtSEOR1 and AtSEOR2 occur as conjugates in the form of filaments in sieve elements of Arabidopsis thaliana. A reduced phytoplasma titre found in infected defective-mutant Atseor1ko plants in previous work raised the speculation that non-conjugated SEOR2 is involved in the phytohormone-mediated suppression of Chrysanthemum Yellows (CY)-phytoplasma infection transmitted by Euscelidius variegatus (Ev). This early and long-lasting SEOR2 impact was revealed in Atseor1ko plants by the lack of detectable phytoplasmas at an early stage of infection (symptomless plants) and a lower phytoplasma titre at a later stage (fully symptomatic plants). The high insect survival rate on Atseor1ko line and the proof of phytoplasma infection at the end of the acquisition access period confirmed the high transmission efficiency of CY-phytoplasma by the vectors. Transmission electron microscopy analysis ruled out a direct role of SE filament proteins in physical phytoplasma containment. Time-correlated HPLC\u2013MS/MS-based phytohormone analyses revealed increased jasmonate levels in midribs of Atseor1ko plants at an early stage of infection and appreciably enhanced levels of indole acetic acid and abscisic acid at the early and late stages. Effects of Ev-probing on phytohormone levels was not found. The results suggest that SEOR2 interferes with phytohormonal pathways in Arabidopsis midrib tissues in order to establish early defensive responses to phytoplasma infection