Back to Library

Commercialising indigenous fruit for poverty alleviation

Published by:
Publication date
24/05/2004
Language:
English
Type of Publication:
Working Papers & Briefs
Focus Region:
Sub-Saharan Africa
Focus Topic:
Market / Trade
Agricultural Value Chains / Agri-Businesses
Commodity:
Crops
Source
http://www.dfid.gov.uk/r4d/PDF/Outputs/Forestry/R7190_-_Commercialisation_of_indigenous_fruit_Eng.pdf http://www.dfid.gov.uk/r4d/PDF/Outputs/Forestry/R7190_-_Commercialisation_of_indigenous_fruit_Fr.pdf
Author
Ndoye, O.; Awono, A.; Schreckenberg, K.; Leakey, R.

In the West and Central African region, there are 60 million poor people. Cameroon’s Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (2003) states that 40% of the population is below the poverty line, with farmers particularly hard hit. The recent economic ‘crisis’ triggered new interest in diversification as a basis for more sustainable farm livelihoods. A key element is the inclusion of indigenous fruit trees such as ‘Bush mango’ (Irvingia gabonensis) and ‘Safou’ (Dacryodes edulis) in the farming system. Between 1999 and 2002, research was carried out in the humid forest zone of Cameroon and Southeast Nigeria to find ways of overcoming the constraints faced by farmers trying to cultivate indigenous fruit trees as new crops.