Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
of the households, except for small parcels of land borrowed from friends or
village chiefs (German, 2004). The duration of tenure was unlimited (98%)
in both countries, and the tenure was transferable. The transferability of land
with indigenous fruits was less than that of land with non-indigenous fruits.
The tenure type was individual ownership. Land tenures did not affect the
willingness of farmers to cultivate trees as 96% of farmers in Malawi and
100% in Zambia held customary lands, and only 4% in Malawi had
leasehold tenure. Patrilineal households had an average of six indigenous
fruit tree species retained or planted in their gardens per household
compared with households with non-indigenous fruit. This is because men
felt insecure about investing in trees in matrilineal communities (e.g.
Thondwe in Southern Malawi and Katete in Eastern Zambia).
Policy research was undertaken to assess policies that affect the
domestication and adoption of priority indigenous fruits, and to evaluate
the effects of policies on indigenous fruit production, management,
utilization and marketing in Malawi. Reviews were conducted of legislation
and policies related to indigenous fruits, and incorporating the needs and
priorities of farmers. The reviews were mainly done in sectors with relevant
legislation and policies, such as forestry, agriculture and integrated trade
and industry. A review was also carried out on the relevance of such
legislation and policies to indigenous fruit production and supply systems
when addressing issues of poverty alleviation as well as the quality of
propagation material and genetic diversity. There are policies regarding the
production of ornamental and protection of catchment areas around
Zomba Mountain, but not on indigenous fruit production.
Cutting down mature indigenous fruit trees for firewood is a common
problem in the region, especially in communal lands in Malawi. In South Africa
Shackleton (2004) also observed that even in communities where as much as
94% were reported to be benefiting from Sclerocarya birrea fruit collection,
trees were being felled for firewood because of fuelwood shortage. There is
better scope for domesticating trees in homesteads. Shackleton (2004) noted
that with much care and attention in the homesteads trees produced more fruits
than in the forest reserves. Average fruit weight produced in two villages from
64 trees was more than 1 ton (1016 kg) compared with less than 100 kg in the
protected forests. This confirms the earlier anecdotal assertions that cultivation
and management can increase fruit production and size. This agrees with other
observations for Uapaca kirkiana in Malawi and Zimbabwe (Maghembe, 1995;
Mithöfer, 2005; J. Mhango, personal communication) and Sclerocarya birrea
(Leakey et al ., 2005). Maghembe (1995) reported that the fruits from planted
Vangueria infausta were ten times bigger than in the wild. It is often difficult to
quantify the amount of fruit harvested by passers-by in the forest and the
amounts scavenged by monkeys and other wild animals. The rate of abortion
of fruits in unmanaged situations will be greater because there are more pest
attacks and other stresses.
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