Agroforestry, health and nutrition: the MINER links and activities of the World Agroforesty Centre

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Agroforestry, 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
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MINER Linkages between agroforestry, health and
nutrition Medicinals, Input Income,
Nutritious foods, Environment, Responses
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Medicinals

• 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.

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Some 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

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Income 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

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Income benefits of agroforestry systems
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Input substitution benefits of agroforestry
soil fertility benefits from improved fallows
(18 locations in Zambia)
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Nutrition

• 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)

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Indigenous fruit is particularly important for
the most vulnerable children and women

• Source Mithöfer and Waibel, 2003

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. Particularly when other foods are in short
supply
Copping strategies adopted by rural dwellers
during maize shortage
Source ICRAF Malawi
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• 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

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Ecosystem 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

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MINER Linkages between agroforestry, health and
nutrition Medicinals, Input Income,
Nutritious foods, Environment, Responses
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Responses E.g. Making agroforestry relevant in
situations of high prevalence of HIV / AIDS
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HIV / 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

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Regional 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)

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Third 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

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See 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