Farmers\u27 Attitudes Towards On-Farm Cultivation of Indigenous Fruit Trees in Adwari Sub-County, Lira District, Uganda

This study was conducted in Adwari sub-county, Lira district to (i) determine the conservation status and threats to indigenous fruit trees (IFTs), (ii) assess farmers’ attitudes towards IFT cultivation, (iii) documents local knowledge on propagation and management of IFTs, and (iv) identify opportunities and constraints to promotion of IFTs cultivation. Semi-structured questionnaires were administered to a total of 120 randomly selected respondents. MINITAB statistical package was used to analyze the data. Logistic regression analysis was performed to show the influence of socio-economic characteristics on farmers’ towards their attitudes to plant IFTs. The population of IFTs was found to be generally declining. The major reasons for decline were charcoal burning and firewood collection. Although, majority of farmers had positive attitudes towards cultivation of IFTs, their attitudes were influenced by gender, education level, farm size and occupation status. Lack of clear markets for indigenous fruits, unclear information about their food values, lack of seedlings in local nurseries, and dearth of information propagation techniques were the major hindrance to cultivation of IFTs. There is a need especially by local governments and local councils to formulate clear strategies on conservation of IFTs for example by establishing a community nursery and propagation center for IFTs. There is a need to address the issue of marketing and pricing of indigenous tree fruit products. Lastly, there is a need of further study to analyze the market environment for indigenous tree fruits compared with alternative possibilities such as exotic fruits or agricultural crops

Use of indigenous knowledge in predicting fruit production of shea butter tree in agroforestry parklands of north-eastern Uganda.

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Tamarinds' (Tamarindus indica L.) niche tree species diversity characterisation reveals conservation needs and strategies

Recently, farmers in East Africa and some other African countries, with technical and research support from government, FAO and World Agroforestry Centre, prioritized tamarind conservation and product development to support livelihood diversification. Just like for most tropical trees; because of past low priority and research neglect, no conservation strategies were yet in place for tamarind. Knowledge on tamarind basic biology, including its niche-tree species diversity required to guide identification of appropriate holistic-economic-ecologically sound conservation strategies was lacking. The goal of this study was to generate East Africa tamarind-niche-tree species diversity knowledge. Specific objectives were to (1) determine tree species which grow in the same niche with tamarind on-farm and in wild (woodlands and riverbank) habitats and (2) assess species diversity in those niches. We therefore hypothesized similarity of species and diversity indices in tamarind-niches among habitats within and among countries in East Africa. The result show regional similarity of species but with significant variation of diversity indices among different habitats within and among similar habitats among countries; Shannon Wiener diversity index H is highest on-farm and poorest in riverbanks (P < 0.05). Evidently, farmer commitment to conservation of tamarind and its niche-tree species on-farm would cause sustainability and mitigate for poor diversity in wild habitats. However, diversity restoration in the wild habitats regionally and in all habitats in Uganda would be needed to ensure persistence and connectivity of species essential for long term conservation. Habitat type and country unique diversity indices observed also imply that localised habitat specific and not regional diversity restoration strategies will be applicable for tamarind-niche tree species conservation in East Africa. Wild habitat tree species diversity could be improved among others by enrichment planting with area specificsuitable tree species. Suitable tree species for conservation with tamarind in different habitats within and among countries are documented in this paper