NETWORK OF UGANDAN RESEARCHERS AND RESEARCH …

1 NETWORK OF UGANDAN RESEARCHERS AND. RESEARCH USERS (NURRU). RESEARCH REPORT. Potential of domesticating indigenous fruit trees for food security and household incomes in Lira district Principal Investigator Jacob Godfrey Agea Faculty of Forestry and Nature Conservation Makerere University Box 7062. Kampala E-mail: Phone: +256 71 878009. Collaborating Investigator Grace Akullo Box 46. Lira Phone: +256 71 94 2241. September 2004. DEDICATION. To the poor and food insecure rural households of Lira district Who should know why? ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.

2 Ii The authors wishes to express sincere appreciation to Assoc. Professor Joseph Obua for his assistance in the overall guidance and supervision of this RESEARCH . In addition, special thanks to Prof. Gingyera-Pinycwa whose review of the report was helpful. Thanks also to the local communities of Adwari, Otuke County who gave their time even during the difficult situations. To NETWORK of UGANDAN RESEARCHERS and RESEARCH Users (NURRU), we are grateful for having funded this study. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS. DEDICATION .. ii ACKNOWLEDMENT.

3 Iii TABLE OF CONTENTS .. iv LIST OF TABLES .. vi LIST OF FIGURES .. vii LIST OF PLATES .. viii ABSTRACT .. ix CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION .. 1. Rationale and significance of the study .. 1. RESEARCH problem .. 2. RESEARCH objectives .. 3. Overall objective .. 3. Specific objectives .. 3. RESEARCH questions .. 3. Scope of the study .. 4. Limitations of the study .. 4. Structure of the report .. 4. CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW .. 4. General .. 5. indigenous fruit trees as nutrition supplement .. 5. Collection and marketing wild fruits.

4 5. Wild plants in farming systems .. 6. Domestication of indigenous fruit trees .. 6. Challenges in conserving indigenous fruit trees .. 7. CHAPTER THREE: STUDY AREA AND METHODS .. 8. Location and 8. Geology and soils .. 9. Climate .. 9. Vegetation .. 9. The people and the 10. Methods .. 10. RESEARCH design .. 10. Reconnaissance 10. Literature review and synthesis .. 11. Questionnaire design, sample size and sample selection .. 11. Farm walk .. 11. Preference ranking .. 11. Data analysis .. 12. CHAPTER FOUR: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION.

5 14. iv Demographic and socio-economic characteristics of respondents .. 14. indigenous fruit trees that are grown/retained on private land .. 14. Diversity of indigenous fruit trees on farms .. 16. Regeneration of fruit trees and local people's perception of indigenous fruit trees..18. Sources of planting and the period local people have planted indigenous fruit trees .. 19. Logistic regression of socio-economic characteristics of the farmers .. 20. Socio-economic values of indigenous (wild) fruit trees .. 21. indigenous fruit trees preferred by the local 23.

6 tree species grown together with indigenous fruit trees on farmland .. 26. Agricultural crops grown alongside indigenous fruit trees .. 27. Local people's perception of NAADS, NFP, PMA and Extension workers .. 28. Market potential of indigenous (wild) fruits .. 30. Conservation status of indigenous fruit trees .. 31. Conservation threats to indigenous (wild) fruit trees .. 32. Constraints to managing wild fruit trees on farmland and the suggested solutions .. 35. Opportunities for domesticating/ planting indigenous fruit trees by local people.

7 36. CHAPTER FOUR: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS .. 37. Conclusions .. 37. Recommendations .. 38. REFERENCES .. 39. APPENDICES .. 41. Appendix 1 sample questionnnaire .. 41. Appendix 2 Farm transect walk .. 44. v LIST OF TABLES. Table 4. 1 Demographic and socio-economic characteristics of respondents .. 15. Table 4. 2 indigenous fruit trees that are grown/retained on private land .. 15. Table 4. 3 Diversity of indigenous fruit trees on farms .. 17. Table 4. 4 Proportion of farmland under indigenous fruit tree cover .. 18. Table 4.

8 5 Mode of regeneration and local people's perception of wild fruit trees .. 19. Table 4. 6 Criteria used to identify wild fruit trees for on-farm cultivation .. 19. Table 4. 7 Sources of planting and time local people have grown indigenous fruit trees .. 20. Table 4. 8 Logistic regression of socio-economic characteristics of the farmers .. 20. Table 4. 9 Farmers' perception on the values of indigenous (wild) fruit trees .. 22. Table 4. 10 Farmers' perception on the growing of indigenous fruit trees .. 23. Table 4. 11 List of farmers' priority indigenous fruit tree species (in order of importance).

9 23. Table 4. 12 Other tree species grown together with indigenous fruit trees on farmland .. 27. Table 4. 13 Agricultural crops grown alongside fruit trees .. 28. Table 4. 14 farmers' perception about NAADS, NFP, PMA and Extension workers .. 29. Table 4. 15 Management of indigenous (wild) fruit trees on private lands .. 29. Table 4. 16 Local methods of propagating indigenous (wild) fruit trees .. 30. Table 4. 17 indigenous (wild) fruits sold in local markets .. 31. Table 4. 18 Exotic fruits sold in the local markets .. 31. Table 4.

10 19 Reasons for decreased in number of indigenous fruit trees over the past years .. 32. Table 4. 20 Constraints to planting/managing wild fruit trees on farmland .. 35. Table 4. 21 Opportunities for domesticating indigenous fruit trees by local people .. 36. vi LIST OF FIGURES. Figure 3. 1 Location of Adwari Sub-County in Otuke County, Lira District .. 8. Figure 4. 1 Conservation status of indigenous fruit trees in Adwari Sub-county .. 32. vii LIST OF PLATES. Plate 1 Some of the indigenous fruit trees preferred by the local communities.