Nutritional and Ecological Benefits of Forest and Tree Cover on Vegetable Collection, Production and Consumption in Semi-Arid Areas A comparative study in Ethiopia and Burkina Faso
Abstract
Through improved understanding of the role of forests and tree cover in food production and availability in dry areas in Ethiopia and Burkina Faso, this project will contribute to agricultural and biodiversity conservation decision-making and policy at national and regional levels. CIFOR and partners believe that inadequate vegetable access and consumption is possibly one of the greatest obstacles to food security and nutrition in sub-Saharan Africa, yet one of the most commonly overlooked. Micro-nutrient intake is one of the aspects of nutrition most strongly linked to the Millennium Development Goals; overcoming micronutrient deficiency is said to be essential if the inter-generational transmission of poverty is to be. By focusing on the importance of trees and dry forests for traditional and leafy vegetable procurement, this project will address knowledge gaps on the importance of integrated forest management for ecosystem services, agriculture and household nutrition. We aim to demonstrate the importance of tree cover and associated ecosystems services benefits, for the maintenance of traditional leafy vegetable production within diverse agricultural systems that are experiencing increasing climatic variation and associated adaptive challenges. Traditional leafy vegetable consumption has declined in recent years in Africa in both diversity and quantity, with negative consequences for food security and nutrition. This project aims to provide knowledge needed for enhanced traditional and leafy vegetable production, access and consumption in Ethiopia and Burkina Faso, where current intake is far below WHO and FAO recommendations. The project will highlight the importance of existing biodiversity within landscapes that include a mixture of agricultural land and forests. In addition, by including attention to tree and vegetable genetic diversity within the local agricultural landscape, the project will also contribute to on-going in situ conservation efforts. As vegetable procurement is primarily a female responsibility across much of Africa (including in Ethiopia and Burkina Faso) this project will also contribute to enhanced gender awareness and equality. It will document local women’s control over their share of household resources and will examine the role of forests and trees in decreasing the amount of time and effort required for local women to ensure their families consume adequate vegetables and associated nutrients. The project will expressly focus on the challenges women face in providing a healthy and nutritious diet for their families and include them in the research process of identifying the role of forests and trees in meeting their families’ dietary and nutrition needs, while safeguarding important concomitant ecosystem services.
keywords Integrated forest management Household nutrition Biodiversity conservation Ecosystem services Traditional vegetable cultivation
Publikationen
Project staff
Christian R. Vogl
Ao.Univ.Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr.nat.techn. Christian R. Vogl
christian.vogl@boku.ac.at
Tel: +43 1 47654-93312
BOKU Project Leader
01.09.2013 - 31.12.2015
BOKU partners
External partners
Center for International Forestry Research
Terry Sunderland
coordinator
Bioversity International
Carlo Fadda
partner