Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
sell their products, and this has demonstrated that training and education in
business and development skills for rural communities would improve the
earning potential of many indigenous fruit products. By combining well-
established principles and appropriate equipment with good standards of
quality and hygiene, it has been demonstrated that small-scale food processing
enterprises can produce quality, marketable products.
3.5 Conclusions
Most indigenous fruit trees have multiple uses and play a vital role in crop
diversification programmes and household systems. Their inclusion in production
systems reduces the risks inherent to monocultures of staple food crops, such as
pest and disease outbreaks, soil nutrient depletion, price fluctuations, and reliance
on a single crop for income. The systematic domestication of indigenous fruit
trees can improve their production. Several authors have already reported the
progress made in domestication of various African species (Atangana et al. , 2001;
Leakey et al. , 2005a, b, c, d; Tchoundjeu et al ., 2006).
A start has been made in understanding the producer-to-consumer chain
system so as to stimulate the adoption of indigenous tropical fruit trees. The
particular components of this system are: (i) the identification of quality
planting materials through farmer participatory surveys, and collection and
evaluation of germplasm, readily available to farmers; (ii) knowledge of
propagation and production systems to integrate into diverse farming systems;
(iii) technology for postharvest processing, product development, storage,
packaging, quality assurance and marketing; (iv) appropriate national policy;
(v) access to credit; (vi) training in technology relevant to production, food
processing and marketing, in particular for small entrepreneurs' development;
and, above all, (vii) information dissemination for all these areas. Once we
progress on these issues, the incorporation of indigenous fruit trees into
agricultural systems to improve rural livelihoods will become easier.
References
Akinnifesi, F.K., Ham, C., Jordaan, D.,
Mander, M., Mithöfer, D., Ramadhani, T.,
Kwesiga, F., Saka, J. and Phosiso, S.
(2005) Building opportunities for small
holder farmers to commoditize indigenous
fruit trees and products in southern Africa:
processing, rural pilot enterprises and
marketing. In: The Global Food and
Product Chain: Dynamics, Innovations,
Conflicts, Strategies (International Con-
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Agriculture, Forestry and Resource
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Akinnifesi, F.K., Kwesiga, F., Mhango, J.,
Chilanga, T., Mkonda, A., Kadu, C.A.C.,
Kadzere, I., Mithofer, D., Saka, J.D.K.,
Sileshi, G., Ramadhani, T. and Dhliwayo,
P. (2006) Towards the development of
miombo fruit trees as commercial tree
crops in southern Africa. Forests, Trees
and Livelihoods 16, 103-121.
Anegbeh, P.O., Usoro, C., Ukafor, V.,
Tchoundjeu, Z., Leakey, R.R.B. and
Schreckenberg, K. (2003) Domestication
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