Directorate of Graduate Training, Research, and Innovations
Permanent URI for this community
Browse
Browsing Directorate of Graduate Training, Research, and Innovations by Issue Date
Now showing 1 - 9 of 9
Results Per Page
Sort Options
Item Components of agroforestry systems(Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR); World Agroforestry (ICRAF), 2022-09) Gassner, Anja; Cornelius, Jonathan P.; Dobie, Philip; Mercado, Agustin; Mukuralinda, Athanase; Okia, Clement Akias; Pinon, Caroline; Somarriba, Eduardo; Thorne, PeterAgroforestry systems are composed of trees and crops, trees and livestock, or trees with both crops and livestock. In this section, we explore the attributes of these components in more detail. A given agroforestry system is often centred on one species, which we call the ‘flagship species’. This is the species that the farmer considers to be the most important one – often because it contributes most strongly to their livelihood. Other components, which we call ‘flotilla species’, are added to provide agroecological services, such as shade, that support the flagship species. The needs of the flagship species (for example, for light or water) determine the types of flotilla species needed, even when these also produce useful goods. For example, when growing shade-intolerant crops like cereals, farmers need to select and plant trees that do not compete with the cereals for light. In many agroforestry systems, the flagship species is an annual crop, a perennial (long-lived) crop (including tree crops), or a livestock species; it can also be a timber species. Some agroforestry systems may have more than one flagship species. Flotilla species can be trees or crops.Item Management of trees in agroforestry systems(Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR); World Agroforestry (ICRAF), 2022-09) Gassner, Anja; Mercado, Agustin; Miccolis, Andrew; Mukuralinda, Athanase; Okia, Clement Akias; Somarriba, EduardoMany tree establishment efforts focus entirely on the planting process, and fail to consider the years of time and effort needed to care for the planted trees and to manage their growth. It is true that the cultivation of trees usually requires less work than crop cultivation. But trees planted on farms do require management, whatever the system, and this management can be very time consuming. The design process must ensure that farmers are aware of the demands of management and that they consider these before deciding to establish an agroforestry system. Growing trees requires a long-term commitment, sufficient resources and sound knowledge about how trees interact with their environments, including other components of agroforestry systems. In this section, we provide an overview of how to manage trees in agroforestry systems.Item Principles of agroforestry design(Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR); World Agroforestry (ICRAF), 2022-09) Gassner, Anja; Coe, Richard; Cornelius, Jonathan P.; Dobie, Philip; Miccolis, Andrew; Mukuralinda, Athanase; Okia, Clement Akias; Somarriba, EduardoAgroforestry design involves deciding what will be produced, selecting the components of the system, and determining how they will be arranged. These decisions also define how and when the components will be established, and how they will be managed. It also includes other considerations, such as how to support the enabling environment for agroforestry. Farmers have been designing agroforestry systems for millennia – sometimes consciously, sometimes instinctively. Professionals can support this process in several ways: by advising farmers who haven’t managed agroforestry systems before, or farmers who are recent migrants to a given agroecological zone; by helping to ensure that the systems meet wider goals (particularly environmental ones) in such a way that farmers’ interests are not negatively affected; by introducing farmers to new scientific knowledge; by organizing or supporting collaborative design processes that include all relevant stakeholders. In this section, we outline three principles of agroforestry design: farmer-centredness; aptness to people, place and purpose; and synergy. Successful agroforestry interventions follow these design principles. Interventions that ignore them have a high chance of failure.Item Kernel morphometric characteristics and oil content among Shea tree genotypes in Uganda(African Journals Online, 2022-09-23) Odoi, J. B; Okia, Clement Akias; Gwali, S.; Odong, T. L.; Agaba, H.; Okullo, J. B. L.Shea tree (Vitellaria paradoxa subsp. nilotica) is an important commercial tree for domestic oil and industrial products of cosmetics, chocolate and other confectionaries traded grown worldwide. We studied seed morphometric characteristics and crude oil content of Shea nuts in Uganda. Five populations, comprising of 16 ethnovarieties, were selected from Eastern, Northern and West Nile Sub-regions of Uganda, based on their attributes as judged by the farmers. Fresh kernel weight ranged from 2 to 18.85 mg per seed. Kernel weight increased with Shea fruit weight (y = 0.1499x + 6.1887, R² = 0.306). Moyo district had the highest oil content (54.37 ± 0.32%); while Amuru district had the lowest oil content (50.5 ± 1.32%). Oil content decreased with increasing kernel size (y = -0.4541x + 57.303, R² = 0.2116) and dry matter content (y = 0.635x - 9.863, R²= 0.011); and varied between ethnovarieties and Shea tree populations, p = 0.003 and P< 0.001, respectively. Tinny seeded (45.7 - 65.49%), Round fruited (45.41 - 65.91%), Dwarf tree (45.19 - 64.19%), Elliptical fruited (45.32 - 64.19%) and Soft pulped (42.16 - 69.77%) ethnovarieties had the highest oil content. Narrow sense heritability (h2) for oil yield was 1.72; while response to selection (R) was 16.48 with genetic gain (Gs) of 2.21%, given 10% top selection intensity.Item Moving towards regenerative inclusive food systems(Wageningen University & Research, 2023) Froebrich, Jochen; Groot, Annemarie; Adokorach, Molly; Aranguiz, Adolfo Alvarez; Andeweg, Karin; Omedo, Bockline Bebe; Beekman, Gonne; Kajobe, Robert; Langi, Sandra; Malingumu, Richard; Nabulime, Maureen NorahThe food systems in which people in East Africa produce and consume their daily meals are in crisis. Hunger continues to grow. Climate change, biodiversity loss, depletion of natural resources and declining soil health are the factors making the lives of farmers and other actors in these food systems increasingly difficult. This booklet is about Regenerative Inclusive Food Systems. These are based on the idea that for the food system to change for the better, fundamental changes are needed in society – in the agricultural sector and among both consumers and policy makers. There are already many initiatives that aim to improve the current situation by focussing on sustainable outcomes, most of which are based on technology and economics. Regenerative Inclusive Food Systems approach go beyond this, by focussing on how to get to these outcomes, where the capacity to regenerate is key. Regenerative Inclusive Food Systems are about the motivation and capacities of people in the food system, starting from local communities: about their motivation and capacities to reflect on the situation, to create a common vision, and to inspire others to make a change. With this approach, interpersonal relationships will become stronger, as people take care of each other and pursue paths for equal opportunities in transforming their food systems, while leaving no one behind. Moreover, in Regenerative Inclusive Food Systems, people are seen as being embedded in nature and their relationship with nature is therefore fundamentally different. The ecosystem is regenerated, including the rich life in the soil beneath our feet.Item Food system innovation platforms as a pathway towards regenerative inclusive food systems(Wageningen University & Research, 2023) Froebrich, Jochen; Groot, Annemarie; Adokorach, Molly; Aranguiz, Adolfo Alvarez; Andeweg, Karin; Omedo, Bockline Bebe; Beekman, Gonne; Bennink, Viola; Berecha, Gezahegn; Alho, Carlos Brazao Vieira; Brummelhuis, Amber; Kajobe, Robert; Langi, Sandra; Malingumu, Richard; Nabulime, Maureen NorahFood systems in East Africa are under pressure. Climate change, biodiversity loss, natural resource depletion, and declining soil health are having an impact. Hunger continues to grow. Recent developments, such as the increasing price of inputs like mineral fertilisers, make the need for change even more urgent. Many agree that to reverse these trends requires a fundamental change. We need a transition towards Regenerative Inclusive Food Systems. In another booklet we describe what Regenerative Inclusive Food Systems may look like, why we need them and what lessons we have learned in the REFOOTURE project on the transition towards such food systems.Item REFOOTURE: A project to advance regenerative inclusive food systems(Wageningen University & Research, 2023) Froebrich, Jochen; Groot, Annemarie; Adokorach, Molly; Aranguiz, Adolfo Alvarez; Andeweg, Karin; Omedo, Bockline Bebe; Beekman, Gonne; Bennink, Viola; Kajobe, Robert; Langi, Sandra; Malingumu, Richard; Nabulime, Maureen NorahDespite all the efforts in recent decades, food insecurity, poverty and nature degradation are on the rise in East Africa. The REFOOTURE project believes fundamental change is needed to solve these issues. They can only be solved by transforming food systems into Regenerative Inclusive Food Systems. In Regenerative Inclusive Food Systems, people are seen as part of nature, nurturing nature rather than exploiting it. In these food systems, nature and social relationships are regenerated, supporting food security and resilient livelihoods. The REFOOTURE project, which was launched in 2020 with funding from the IKEA Foundation, aims to foster Regenerative Inclusive Food Systems in three East African countries: Ethiopia, Kenya, and Uganda. The key idea behind REFOOTURE is that innovation is crucial to fostering social, technological, and institutional transformation towards Regenerative Inclusive Food Systems. These innovations should be place-based, rooted in the specific characteristics of a place which is in some way meaningful to the people living there. Local communities, their territory and their surroundings determine the place-based potential for innovations.Item A healthy diet for a growing population: a case study of Arua, Uganda(Springer Nature, 2023-01-27) Hermelink, Marleen I.; Pittore, Katherine H.; Álvarez Aranguiz, Adolfo; Pereira da Silva, Fatima I.; Roefs, Marlene M. I.; Kajobe, Robert; Malingumu, Richard; Hengsdijk, HuibIt is uncertain whether Sustainable Development Goal 2 (SDG2), a healthy diet for all, can be achieved in East Africa given its strong population growth, low agricultural yields, and the high perishability of nutrient-dense foods. We examine the consequences of a locally produced healthy diet on land use in a case study of the Arua district in Uganda. This type of analysis can alert policy makers to looming nutrition gaps and support the selection of alternative solution strategies. Using a linear programming (LP) model and three population growth projections, we estimate the minimum agricultural area needed in 2040 to produce a healthy diet that follows EAT-Lancet dietary diversity guidelines and supplies the average requirements of calories, proteins, Iron, and vitamin A. We also compare in scenarios to what extent i) production intensification, ii) food loss reduction, iii) by-product consumption, and iv) vitamin supplementation could reduce the required agricultural area. Results show that the necessary area to produce a healthy diet in 2040 is 160% larger than Arua’s current crop area and would greatly exceed the district’s total area. We also show that none of the changes proposed in our scenarios allows a sufficient increase in food production, suggesting that a mix of even more drastic changes across sectors will be necessary. The results underline the challenge for rural areas in East Africa like Arua to provide a healthy diet to its fast growing population, requiring integrated food system changes and policy coordination to orchestrate the increased availability of diverse and nutritious foods.Item Providing targeted incentives for trees on farms: A transdisciplinary research methodology applied in Uganda and Peru(Elsevier, 2023-03-11) Rode, Julian; Escobar, Marcela Muñoz; Khan, Sabina J.; Borasino, Elena; Kihumuro, Phillip; Okia, Clement Akias; Robiglio, Valentina; Zinngrebe, YvesNative trees are central elements of sustainable agriculture, providing economic futures to rural populations while safeguarding biodiversity and ecosystem services. We present a diagnostic methodology for (i) identifying ‘incentive opportunities’ for farmers to plant and manage trees on farms; (ii) proposing targeted packages of incentive and finance instruments; and (iii) describing levers for policy integration to support their implementation. In two case studies from Uganda and Peru, the ‘incentive opportunities’ consist of providing technical and financial support to farmers for planting and managing trees, generating income sources from native trees and support from the beneficiaries of tree-based ecosystem services, and eliminating incentives for tree removal. Many instruments to promote trees on farms already exist, but implementation is hampered by weak and fragmented institutions, limited funding and low political priority. The proposed methodology can guide the development of incentive instruments as part of implementing policy strategies for integrated biodiversity conservation and sustainable development.