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

1. Agroforestry, health and nutrition:the 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

2. MINER Linkages between agroforestry, health and nutrition: • Medicinals, Input & Income, Nutritious foods, Environment, Responses Medicinal plant products Medicinal Plants Vegetables Trees for fodder, fuel, soil fertility Health Responses Milk Nutrition Protein Micro nutrient Calorie intake Nutritious Agroforestry Foods Income & Inputs saved: Agroforestry Fruit & leaves Tree pattern Density, species and composition of trees on farm and in landscape Wild food sources Environmental services payments Ecosystem structure & function Disease transmission

3. 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.

4. Some of ICRAF’s 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

5. 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

6. Income benefits of agroforestry systems

7. Input substitution benefits of agroforestry: soil fertility benefits from improved fallows (18 locations in Zambia)

8. 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)

9. Indigenous 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 ICRAF’s 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

12. 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

13. MINER Linkages between agroforestry, health and nutrition: • Medicinals, Input & Income, Nutritious foods, Environment, Responses Medicinal plant products Medicinal Plants Vegetables Trees for fodder, fuel, soil fertility Health Responses Milk Nutrition Protein Micro nutrient Calorie intake Nutritious Agroforestry Foods Income & Inputs saved: Agroforestry Fruit & leaves Tree pattern Density, species and composition of trees on farm and in landscape Wild food sources Environmental services payments Ecosystem structure & function Disease transmission

14. Responses … E.g. Making agroforestry relevant in situations of high prevalence of HIV / AIDS

15. 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

16. 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)

17. 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

18. See more information at: Ochola and Swallow brief: http://www.ifpri.org/2020/focus/focus13/focus13_11.pdf Agroforestry and health resources: http://www.ifpri.org/themes/aghealth/icraf.asp Agroforestry responses to HIV / AIDS: working proceedings. http://www.worldagroforestry.org/downloads/publications/ PDFs/op13689.pdf The Challenge of HIV / AIDS: where does agroforestry fit in. http://www.worldagroforestry.org/downloads/publications/ PDFs/BC06150.PDF