Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
17
The Role of Institutional
Arrangements and Policy on
the Conservation, Utilization
and Commercialization
of Indigenous Fruits in
Southern Africa
P.A. O
DUOL
,
1
O.C. A
JAYI
,
2
P. M
ATAKALA
1
AND
F.K. A
KINNIFESI
2
1
World Agroforestry Centre, SADC/ICRAF Agroforestry Programme,
Maputo, Mozambique
;
2
World Agroforestry Centre, ICRAF,
Lilongwe, Malawi
17.1 Introduction
Food insecurity, health, especially HIV/AIDS, high levels of unemployment and
poverty are some of the key development challenges facing the southern Africa
region. To overcome these challenges, most governments are implementing
programmes that promote sustainable economic growth to reduce poverty and
unemployment. As part of these programmes, rural people are coping with
food insecurity and sustaining their livelihoods by using forest products,
including wild foods and indigenous fruit trees. These foods supplement their
diets and are traded to provide cash income (FAO, 1989). The forests and
natural woodlands support millions of livelihoods for people living within
and neighbouring them. They provide direct and indirect benefits that include
environmental services of soil, water and biodiversity conservation, animal
habitats, beauty, tourism, a variety of wood and non-wood products,
medicines, herbs and fruits. They are home to several indigenous fruit trees
(IFTs) that offer various products and services to rural and urban communities
in Africa (FAO, 1989). These IFT products and services have sustained rural
and urban livelihoods for thousands of years. The biggest challenge to forest
sectors in southern Africa is to promote self-sufficiency in forest products
through sustained forest management and biodiversity conservation. However,
increasing human populations are exerting pressure on natural resources,
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