'Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)'
Abstract
Book targeted at extension workers primarily in developing countries to provide information on how to support farmers in integrating fruit trees in their livelihoods portfolio.Growing fruit as an enterprise requires only a very small plot of land, commonly a home garden, some labour and minimal capital. The fruit enterprise can provide a plethora of products: fresh fruit, jams, juices, chutneys and pickles. By-products can be used for fermented products such as fruit wines, fruit waste can be used for animal feed, while fruit seeds and nuts can be pressed for oil. Fruit provides a number of benefits, with important nutritional elements that contribute to improve diets, help support family food security and are an important source of income when sold fresh and/or processed. Fruit trees provide also numerous benefits to the natural environment and to the sustainability of other farm-based livelihood enterprises. Encouraging and promoting fruit trees as a viable enterprise to small-scale farmers can only but enhance livelihoods. It is hoped that policy-makers and development personnel recognize the numerous opportunities that producing and marketing fruit can bring to small-scale farmer
