SDM Project: Experimenting on production of high value market products from indigenous wild fruits
31.08.2015
SUBMITTED ORGANISATION
Nature and Livelihoods
PARTNER ORGANISATIONS
N/A
DATE OF SUBMISSION
August 2015
REGION
Africa
COUNTRY
Uganda
FOCAL POINT
William Olupot
SDM website
More information is available here
Abstract
In Uganda, native vegetation outside protected areas is being rapidly lost to conversion to crop fields. Even the fruit trees that had been maintained in a traditional ‘parkland’ agroforestry system in smallholder farms is now cut and exploited for charcoal production. The vegetation loss cannot be easily halted when tangible economic and subsistence benefits are not being realised from these trees. The NGO Nature and Livelihoods therefore aimed to explore the potential to develop high value market products from native wild fruits widely consumed by local people in the Teso sub-region of eastern Uganda, with a view towards providing farmers an economic incentive to retain these trees in their farmlands. The project built on earlier works that identified species of wild edible fruits, and experimented by using them for production of jams and beverages.

