Title: Agroforestry, health and nutrition: the MINER links and activities of the World Agroforesty Centre
1Agroforestry, health and nutritionthe MINER
links and activities of the World Agroforesty
Centre
Compiled by Brent Swallow and presented by Carol
J. Pierce Colfer
Seminar on Forests and Health, IUFRO Board
Meeting, Marrakesh, Morocco, 30 April 2008
2MINER Linkages between agroforestry, health and
nutrition Medicinals, Input Income,
Nutritious foods, Environment, Responses
3Medicinals
- 80 of the population (especially women) in
Africa rely on herbal remedies 1/3 shrubs, 1/3
trees, 1/3 forbs (WHO). - The plant material is mostly wild harvested.
- Over-harvesting and unsustainable harvest
techniques lead to local extinctions and threaten
the conservation of these key species - Knowledge on medicinal plants threatened with
inadequate appreciation, recognition and sharing. - Unregulated medicinal plant sector.
- Herbal medicines are controversial and mystified.
4Some of ICRAFs work on medicinals
- Documenting medicinal trees for protection and
promotion - Helping traditional healers to grow medicinal
plants (eg Uganda) - Improvements and sustainable production of
anti-malarials (Warburgia ugandensis, Artemesia) - Support to Regional Initiatives on Traditional
Medicine in Africa - Hosted an international workshop herbal
treatments for malaria
5Income and inputs
- Agroforestry can help diversify income sources
through sales of timber, fruit, milk, vegetables,
fuel - Agroforestry can reduce farmer expenditure on
fuel, fertilizer and fodder - Income saved can be used to increase expenditure
on health and nutrition
6Income benefits of agroforestry systems
7Input substitution benefits of agroforestry
soil fertility benefits from improved fallows
(18 locations in Zambia)
8Nutrition
- Agroforestry can improve nutrition through fruit
production and as inputs to milk (fodder),
vegetable (improved fallows) and cereal
production (improved fallows) - FAO/WHO Expert Consultation on diet, nutrition
and the prevention of chronic diseases recommends
a daily intake of a least 400 g of fruit and
vegetables to decrease the risk for diseases
(FAO, 2004, 2006). - Ave fruit consumption of 36-90 g/day in Africa,
200 g/day in Latin America, 300 g/day in
developing countries in Asia (East Africa is
lowest) - Some indigenous fruits are particularly
nutritious (e.g. Uapaca kirkiana, Baobab leaves)
9Indigenous fruit is particularly important for
the most vulnerable children and women
- Source Mithöfer and Waibel, 2003
10. Particularly when other foods are in short
supply
Copping strategies adopted by rural dwellers
during maize shortage
Source ICRAF Malawi
11- Some of ICRAFs work on nutrition
- Domesticating indigenous fruit across Africa
(e.g. Uapaca kirkiana and Ziziphus mauritania in
southern Africa) - Supporting market system development for
indigenous fruit in Central Africa - Supporting development of new systems for home
garden production of baobab leaves in the Sahel - Developing biomass transfer systems for
dry-season garden production of garlic and
vegetables in Zambia and Zimbabwe - Supporting schools and hospitals in production
and processing of mangos and moringa leaf in
Western Kenya
12Ecosystem management, health and nutrition
- Agroforestry systems can contribute to maintain
quality of water in waterways - Agroforestry systems may have less standing
water and lower ambient temperature, limiting
habitat for mosquitoes and other water-borne
diseases - Agroforestry can contribute to biodiversity in
the landscape, maintaining minor food crops,
dietary diversity, and emergency food supplies
13MINER Linkages between agroforestry, health and
nutrition Medicinals, Input Income,
Nutritious foods, Environment, Responses
14Responses E.g. Making agroforestry relevant in
situations of high prevalence of HIV / AIDS
15HIV / AIDS threats to trees on farms and in
agricultural landscapes
- Increased exploitation of trees for cash
- Overuse of medicinal trees
- Illness death reducing technology adoption
- Pessimism about the future reduces interest in
long duration investments
- Insecure land tree tenure for widows orphans
- Challenges to effectively reaching the most
vulnerable sub-groups
- Reduced knowledge base a particular problem for
knowledge intensive agroforestry practices
16Regional consultation identified 3 Potential
Roles of Forests and Agroforestry in HIV / AIDS
mitigation
- 1. agroforestry commodities (fruit, medicinals,
nutritious leaves, etc) for income and
subsistence - 2. agroforestry and forestry contributions to
production and food systems (including inputs
into dairy, soil fertility amendments, wild
foods, use of income generated through
agroforestry)
17Third Potential Role of Forests and Agroforestry
in HIV / AIDS mitigation
- 3. agroforestry and ecosystem / landscape
management and their interactions with human
health and nutrition -
- with extra emphasis on areas with high
- HIV / AIDS incidence
-
- recognition of the special circumstances
- and needs of HIV / AIDS affected families
18See more information at
Ochola and Swallow brief http//www.ifpri.org/202
0/focus/focus13/focus13_11.pdf
Agroforestry and health resources http//www.ifpr
i.org/themes/aghealth/icraf.asp
Agroforestry responses to HIV / AIDS working
proceedings. http//www.worldagroforestry.org/down
loads/publications/ PDFs/op13689.pdf
The Challenge of HIV / AIDS where does
agroforestry fit in. http//www.worldagroforestry.
org/downloads/publications/ PDFs/BC06150.PDF