Title
Antimalaria Meeting (AHAM)
Description
The Antimalaria Meeting (AHAM) was held on the ICRAF Campus in Nairobi from the 20th to 22nd March 2006. It was organized by the Centre for Development of Enterprise (CDE, EU), and the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) with support from other partners. The meeting aimed to encourage greater collaborative research and development in this field and to facilitate investment in the cultivation, processing, testing, manufacturing and distribution of safe and efficacious herbal antimalarials. There are a considerable number of private and public initiatives in Africa looking at new approaches to malaria, many involving the production and processing of Artemisia as well as other related products. Co-ordination of these efforts is of the utmost importance to get maximum effect.
CGIAR center
ICRAF
Category
Outreach and Events
Keywords
malaria
agroforestry
medicinal plant
Start date
March 20, 2006
End date
March 22, 2006
Contact
Brent Swallow
E-mail
b.swallow@cgiar.org
Title
Workshop on Agroforestry Responses to HIV/AIDS in East and Southern Africa
Description
In December 2003, people from 28 organizations gathered for a workshop aimed at identifying the threats posed to agroforestry by HIV/AIDS and the opportunities for agroforestry to respond to the pandemic. The discussions centered on knowledge gaps and research needs regarding the potential of agroforestry, opportunities for agroforestry to contribute to HIV/AIDS mitigation programmes (traditional medicine for HIV/AIDS, income generation, improved nutrition and communication and dissemination), and gaps in agroforestry training and education. This workshop served as an important departure point for further HIV/AIDS and agroforestry projects and the importance of stepping up research into specific nutritional and medicinal benefits of agroforestry products was underscored.
CGIAR center
ICRAF
Category
Outreach and Events
Keywords
agroforestry
HIV/AIDS
nutrition
medicinal plant
malnutrition
Countries
East Africa
Sothern Africa
Start date
December 2003
Contact
Brent Swallow
E-mail
b.swallow@cgiar.org
Title
Regional Initiative for Traditional Medicine and HIV/AIDS in Africa
Description
The Regional initiative for traditional Medicine and HIV/AIDS in Africa was held at ICRAF on August 30-31, 2005. The initiative intended to mobilize and engage various partners at the regional level involved in collaborative or direct work with traditional medicine in order to develop multidisciplinary project proposals based upon agreed minimum standards of practice. Various concept papers from partner organizations were presented and discussed, and a 5-year regional program that is: innovative, comprehensive, complementary, and representative of a regional effort, on traditional medicine, HIV/AIDS, malaria and other killer diseases was drawn. The ultimate goal is to strengthen the voice and credibility of African TRM as the primary health system that the majority of Africans continue to access.
CGIAR center
ICRAF
Category
Initiatives and Networks
Keywords
medicinal plant
HIV/AIDS
traditional medicine
malaria
Countries
Africa
Start date
August 30, 2005
End date
August 31, 2005
Contact
Brent Swallow
E-mail
b.swallow@cgiar.org
Title
MINER Pathways from Agroforestry to Health and Nutrition
Description
In 2005, a Centre Commissioned External Review team was given the task to draw together and review the evidence on the links between agroforestry, health and nutrition and to identify high programme activities for ICRAF for the short, medium and longer term. From the review ICRAF has developed this conceptualization to guide research and development of agroforestry in order help to safeguard households against future health and nutrition shocks. The review process identified five general pathways that link agroforestry, health and nutrition: M- medicinal plants conservation, domestication and propogation; I - income and input substitution through improvements in the farm resource base and products for sale; N- nutritious agroforestry foods, including fruit and leaves; E- environmental modifications that affect disease transmission; and R - responses of priorities and program design to changes in the farmers resources and needs caused by health and nutrition problems.
CGIAR center
ICRAF
Category
Initiatives and Networks
Keywords
agroforestry
nutrition
medicinal plant
malnutrition
Contact
Brent Swallow
E-mail
b.swallow@cgiar.org
Title
Medicinal Plants
Description
ICRAF has for 10 years been engaged in the conservation, domestication and propagation of a variety of medicinal trees, and contributed significantly to the scientific body of knowledge in species such as Prunus Africana (bark used for the treatment of prostrate disorders), Pausinystalia johimbe, Baillonella toxisperma, Annickia chlorantha and Warburgia ugandensis. The centre has for the past five years, worked to establish sustainable supply through conservation of wild population species and by assisting farmers to grow the trees, which also helps to increase their income. ICRAF's interest in medicinal plants can be seen by the fact that 2/3rds of all medicinal plants are woody, and many of the roots and bark of these woody species are used to treat various ailments. Poverty forces many people in the developing world to rely on remedies based on medicinal plants for relief of opportunistic diseases. Nutritious foods from various agroforestry products can boost the immune system and protect against opportunistic diseases. ICRAF in collaboration with relevant stakeholders, is also engaged in the encouraging commercial production of Artemisia annua in Africa, a Chinese herbal remedy, for treatment of malaria in combination therapies. In June 2005, ICRAF participated in a meeting in Arusha, Tanzania to identify and initiate some priority mechanisms for ensuring adequate availability of artemesin based combination therapy (ACT) and the possibilities of cultivation in Africa.
The outputs of this work may be provided to traditional healers or may input in the development of products for the international market.
CGIAR center
ICRAF
Category
Research Program
Keywords
medicinal plant
conservation
agroforestry
nutrition
diet
malaria
malnutrition
Countries
Africa
Contact
Brent Swallow
E-mail
b.swallow@cgiar.org
Title
Agroforestry Responses to HIV/AIDS
Description
During the 25th Anniversary Conference in 2003, HIV/AIDS was discussed as a major crosscutting issue. A paper titled 'The Challenge of HIV/AIDS: Were Des Aroforestry Ft In', was presented to recommend responses that agroforestry research and development organizations can apply to reduce the vulnerability of the affected communities.
Agroforestry can play an extremely important role in ensuring sustainable rural livelihoods enhancing food security, providing income generation opportunities that are not labour intensive, and providing medicinal trees and other products that can help treat opportunistic infections. The challenge is in developing innovative technologies that maximize on the benefits of agroforestry to make it relevant in optimizing labour and meeting cash obligations of communities that have been ravaged by the disease. Some of which include: market based agroforestry targeting young women and those who care for orphans, focusing on home gardens, commercial tree nurseries and fruit processing. ICRAF also intends to integrate agroforestry into food security and rural development. Information on effective medicinal and fruit trees will be included in the HIV/AIDS material distributed by other NGOs and government agencies. To mark World AIDS day (2004) ICRAF launched Network for Agroforestry and HIV/AIDS (NAFAIDS), an onlinenetwork that brings together a diverse group of individuals and organizations addressing the impact of HIV/AIDS on agriculture and natural resource management in Eastern and Southern Africa.
CGIAR center
ICRAF
Category
Research Program
Keywords
HIV/AIDS
agroforestry
rural
food security
medicinal plant
orphans
nutrition
malnutrition
Countries
East Africa
Southern Africa
Contact
Brent Swallow
E-mail
b.swallow@cgiar.org
Title
Tree Cultivation
Description
Tree cultivation in Western and Central Africa (Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Nigeria) is funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). The overall purpose of the program is to facilitate the development of productive simultaneous, diverse and multi-strata agroforestry farming systems, adaptable to the livelihood of resource-poor rural farmers, through the deliberate integration and management of high-value fruit, medicinal, fuel and vegetable species potentially to increase and stabilize annual farm incomes, reduce food, nutritional and health security and contribute to the ecological resilience of the system.
CGIAR center
ICRAF
Category
Research Program
Keywords
agroforestry
rural
medicinal plant
food security
nutrition
ecosystem
malnutrition
Countries
Cameroon
Democratic Republic of Congo
Equatorial Guinea
Gabon
Nigeria
Contact
Brent Swallow
E-mail
b.swallow@cgiar.org
Title
Agroforestry Product Marketing
Description
Domestication and Marketing of Indigenous Fruit Trees of the Miombo for Improved Household Nutrition and Incomes in Southern Africa (2002-2005). This project was undertaken in: Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The project aimed at applying participatory processes in research for domestication of indigenous fruit trees (IFTs) of the miombo ecosystem and marketing of their products. The project employed an action-research approach aimed at achieving impact on rural livelihoods while, at the same time, building capacities at grass-root, national and regional levels in domesticating and marketing of priority indigenous fruits. The underlying hypothesis for this project was that significant impact towards improving nutrition and income of rural households can be achieved by a better linkage of tree domestication with market research and capacity building.
CGIAR center
ICRAF
Category
Research Program
Keywords
indigenous food
nutrition
capacity building
rural
malnutrition
traditional food
Countries
Malawi
Mozambique
Tanzania
Zambia
Zimbabwe
Sothern Africa
Contact
Brent Swallow
E-mail
b.swallow@cgiar.org
Title
Food Security
Description
ICRAF's work on enterprise development and enhancement of tree product marketing under the Trees and Markets theme has been funded by the African Wildlife Foundation. The aim of this work is to introduce agroforestry technologies for food security and income generation among smallholder farmers in the communities of Cubo, Chivovo and Mbindhzo in Massingir District
CGIAR center
ICRAF
Category
Research Program
Keywords
food security
malnutrition
diet
Countries
Africa
Contact
Brent Swallow
E-mail
b.swallow@cgiar.org
Title
Links Between Agroforestry and Health
Description
ICRAF has gradually expanded its work on issues related to health and nutrition. In Southern Africa and humid West Africa, ICRAF has conducted work on the domestication and utilization of indigenous fruit for several years. In Southern Africa, ICRAF is working with 20 NGOs, whose primary concern is to mitigate the impacts of HIV/AIDS. In western Kenya, ICRAF is working with two clinics that are using Moringa oleifera as a nutrition supplement as well as promoting the use of baobab leaves as a vegetable in the Sahel. ICRAF's work on the domestication and commercialization of indigenous fruit trees in southern Africa has reportedly improved food security and provided diversity in the diet. ICRAF is initiating a major expansion of its work on medicinal plant products, particularly in South Asia (Sri Lanka,India) and Africa.
In the Miombo woodlands, remarkable progress has been made with Uacapa kirkiana. Scientists have selected elite germplasm that produces a tree with earlier fruiting, larger fruits, smaller trees and uniform quality fruits with higher market value.
CGIAR center
ICRAF
Category
Research Program
Keywords
nutrition
HIV/AIDS
traditonal
food security
diet
medicinal plant
malnutrition
Countries
Sothern Africa
West Africa
Sri Lanka
India
Africa
Contact
Brent Swallow
E-mail
b.swallow@cgiar.org