Use and Conservation of Indigenous Fruit Tree Diversity for Improved Livelihoods in Eastern Africa. Uganda Country Report

Transcription

1 Use and Conservation of Indigenous Fruit Tree Diversity for Improved Livelihoods in Eastern Africa Uganda Country Report By Clement A. Okia Vincent I. Opolot Jude Sekatuba Balikitenda M. Katumba John F. Esegu National Forestry Resources Research Institute (NaFORRI) P. O. Box 1752, Kampala, Uganda December, 2008

2 Use and Conservation of Indigenous Fruit Tree Diversity for Improved Livelihoods in Eastern Africa Uganda Country Report By Clement A. Okia Vincent I. Opolot Jude Sekatuba Balikitenda M. Katumba John F. Esegu National Forestry Resources Research Institute (NaFORRI) P. O. Box 1752, Kampala, Uganda December, 2008 ii

3 Cover pictures Priority indigenous fruit trees for Teso and Lango sub-regions, Uganda Left to right downwards 1. Vitellaria paradoxa a tree in a fallow land in Abako, Lira district, kernnels sold and a middleman bulking kernnels in a local market in Ocorimongin, Katakwi district. 2. Tamarindus indica a tree in fruit in fallow land in Katine, Soroti district, smallscale selling of fruits in a local market (Ocorimongin, Katakwi district), middleman selling fruits in urban market in Soroti town. 3. Vitex doniana a tree with green fruits near a road in Katine, Soroti district, a branch with mature fruits in the wild in Bata, Dokolo district and ripe fruits (black) picked from on-farm Usuk, Katakwi district 4. Borassus aethiopum trees on-farm in Gogonyo, Pallisa district, tree in fruit on-farm in Amac,Lira district and testing of Borassus wine made by a small scale woman entreprenuer in Soroti town. 5. Carissa edulis not in picture, is mainly eaten causally and used for wine making in Lira district. All pictures by Clement A. Okia and Vincent I. Opolot iii

4 Table of Contents SUMMARY viii 1.0 INTRODUCTION STUDY AREA AND METHODS Description of study area Methods Species prioritization studies Marketing of priority IFTs Priority IFTs threats Priority IFTs biological characterization Data analysis RESULTS Species prioritization Socio-economic characteristics of the respondents Household size and headship Priority species selection Information on priority indigenous fruit trees for Uganda Household food security Food crops and animals Food availability and role of IFTs Other household hunger copping strategies On-farm retention and conservation of of IFTs on-farms Growing of IFTs and exotic fruits on-farms Constraints and possible solutions to IFTs utilisation Required improvements, pests, diseases and constraints on priority IFTs Required improvements, pests, diseases and constraints on V. paradoxa Pests and diseases for Vitellaria paradoxa Constraints and possible solutions to Utilisation of V. paradoxa Required improvements, pests, diseases and constraints on T. indica Major pests and disease for T. indica Constraints on Utilisation of Tamarindus indica Required improvements, pest, diseases and constraints on V. doniana Constraints and possible solutions to Utilisation of V. doniana Required improvements, pest, diseases and constraints on B. aethiopum Constraints associated with Utilisation of Borassus aethiopum Required improvements, pest and diseases and constraints on C. edulis Constraints and possible solutions for Utilisation of Carissa Required improvements, pest and diseases and constraints on S. birrea Marketing of Tamarindus indica, Vitex doniana and Sclerocarya birrea in Uganda Selection of markets Socio-economic characteristics of respondents Marketing of priority fruits Edible parts in T. indica, V. doniana and S. birrea fruits Local processing of T. indica, V. doniana and S. birrea fruits Changes in availability of T. indica, V. doniana and S. birrea fruits Marketing destination for T. indica, V. doniana and S. birrea fruits Preferred fruits in the market and their prices Fruiting frequency for T. indica, V. doniana and S. birrea iv

5 Approximate quantity of T. indica, V. doniana and S. birrea fruits sold Price range (US$/kg) for different fruits Threats to priority indigenous fruit trees in Uganda Socio-economic characteristics of respondents Evolution of general fruit trade in the study area Evolution of T. indica, V. doniana and S. birrea fruit trade Source and distance covered for priority fruits when first sold Price range when the priority fruits where first sold Changes overtime of the source/distance travelled to collect priority IFTs Changes overtime of the quantity and quality of the products Biological characterisation of priority indigenous fruit trees in Uganda Description of ecosystems hosting target species Species associations in the study sites Richness and species diversity indices of the degraded and less degraded sites Distribution of the target tree species in the study sites Target species abundance Target species density in degraded and less degraded habitat Diameter class distribution for target species DISCUSSION Introduction Selection of priority species Use of IFTs as a coppying strategy during hunger periods Growing, retention and conservation of IFTs on-farms Constraints in utilisation of IFTs Required improvements on IFTs Marketing of priority IFTs in Uganda Threats to priority IFTs in Uganda Species biological characterisation CONCLUSIONS RECOMMENDATIONS References v

6 List of Tables Table 1: GPS locations of study villages and number of paticiparting farmers in each group Table 2: Socio-economic characteristics of the respondents Table 3: Househod size and headship Table 4: Focus group ranking of priority IFTs in Teso and Lango Table 5: Respondents familiarity with different IFTs in Teso and Lango (n=130) Table 6: Food crops grown and animals kept in Teso and Lango sub-regions (n=130) Table 7: Food availability and role of IFTs (n=130) Table 8: IFTs used during hunger months (n=130) Table 9: Usage of IFTs during hunger months Table 10: Coping strategies during hunger months (n=130) Table 11: On-farm retention of IFTs (n=130) Table 12 : Reasons for retaining the five top priority IFTs on farms (n=130) Table 13: Options to address extinction of IFTs (n=130) Table 14: Planting of IFTs (n=130) Table 15: IFTs planting sites, planting materials and source of planting materials (n=130) Table 16: Problems and possible solutions to growing of IFTs (n=130) Table 17: Constraints to use of IFTs (n=130) Table 18: Possible solutions to constraints in IFTs utilization Table 19: Required improvements on V. paradoxa fruit and tree Table 20: Major pests and diseases for V. paradoxa Table 21: Constraints and possible solutions to Utilisation of V. paradoxa Table 22: Required improvements on T. indica fruit and tree Table 23: Major pests and disease for T. indica Table 24: Constraints associated with Utilisation of T. indica Table 25: Required improvements on V. doniana and pests and diseases Table 26: Constraints and possible solutions to Utilisation of Vitex doniana Table 27: Borassus aethiopium - required improvements, pests and diseases Table 28: Constraints associated with Utilisation of B. aethiopium Table 29: Carisa edulis - required improvements, pests and diseases Table 30: Constraints and possible solutions for Utilisation of Carissa edulis Table 31: Number of markets and respondents sampled in the respective respective study districts Table 32: Socio-economic characteristics of the respondents (n=38) Table 33: IFTs marketed (n=38) Table 35: Edible parts in T. indica, V. doniana and S. birrea fruits Table 36: Purpose of local processing of T. indica, V. doniana and S. birrea Table 37: Steps for local processing of T. indica, V. doniana and S. birrea Table 38: Processed products for T. indica, V. doniana and S. birrea Table 39: Fruit shape and tastes found in market and preferred by buyers Table 40: Difference in price with respect to fruit shapes (between the lowest and highest) in US$ per unit Table 41: Fruiting frequency for T. indica, V. doniana and S. birrea Table 42: Approximate quantity of T. indica, V. doniana and S. birrea fruits sold Table 43: Price range (US$/kg) for fruits Table 44: Soci-economic characteristics of the respondents Table 45: Evolution of general fruit trade in the study area Table 46: Location/source of fruits when first sold Table 47: Evolution over time of collection of priority IFTs Table 48: Source and distance covered for priority fruits when first sold Table 49: Price range when the priority fruits where first sold Table 50: Evolution overtime of the source/distance travelled to collect priority IFTs vi

7 Table 51: Evolution over time of the quantity and quality of the products Table 52: Species occuring together with the target species in the study sites Table 53: Tree Species richness, diversity and evenness in degraded sites Table 54: Tree Species richness, diversity and evenness in the less degraded sites Table 55: Distribution of target species in degraded and less degraded habitats Table 56: Target species abundance Table 57: Target species density in degraded and less degraded habitat List of Figures Fig1. Map of the study area in relation to map of Uganda Fig. 2: Locations of focus group discussion sites in the study sub-regions Fig. 3: IFTs planted on-farm Fig. 4: Exotic fruits grown on-farm Fig. 5: General reasons for planting IFTs Fig. 6: Reasons for growing various IFTs Fig. 7: Map of the study sub-regions in Uganda showing the locations of the IFTs markets sampled Fig. 8: Changes in availability of T. indica, V. doniana and S. birrea fruits Fig. 9: Reasons for changes in source of T. indica, V. doniana and S. birrea Figure 10: Magnitude of price change for T. indica, V. doniana & S. birrea with respect to change in source Figure 11: Town towards which T. indica, V. doniana and S. birrea fruits are transported Fig 12: Diameter class distribution in degraded habitants Fig 13: Diameter class distribution in less degraded habitats vii

8 SUMMARY The project "Use and Conservation of Indigenous Tree Diversity for Improved Livelihoods in Eastern Africa" was aimed at improving livelihoods and increase incomes of rural farmers through growing, processing and marketing products from indigenous fruit trees. It was implemented by four partners (three National Agricultural Research Institutes in East Africa and Bioversity International). In Uganda, project activities focused in the north eastern and mid northern drylands of Teso and Lango sub-regions respectively. Most of the areas in these two sub-regions lie in the dryland belt and are popular for production and consumption of IFTs. Initial activities involved a prioritization exercise to select project species for each country and later for the three participating countries (Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda). The prioritization exercise in Uganda involved ten groups with a total of 277 farmers. This was followed by a field a survey where 130 respondents interviewed in both sub- regions with 75% and 25% from Teso and Lango respectively. Interviews were used to collect information on use, conservaton, threats and marketing of priority IFTs. For the ecological study, 12 sites/plots (60 X 60 m) were located in the two sub-regions with 5 and 7 in Lango and Teso respectively. It was noted that rural communities have strong social and economic attachment to IFTs. They ranked Vitellaria paradoxa, Tamarindus indica, Vitex doniana, Borassus aethiopum and Carissa edulis as the five priority indigenous fruit trees for Uganda. A majority use IFTs as alternative or complementary food source. Fruits commonly used during months of food shortage include; V. paradoxa, T. indica, C. edullis and V. doniana. Indigenous fruits are mainly used as food as fresh fruits, oil, juice, local brew and spices. Among the five priority IFTs, it is only V. paradoxa and T. indica products whose trade was reported to have begun in the 1980 s and a kilogram of T. indica fruits fetched USD However, the distance covered during fruit collection and prices have continuously been increasing indicating decreasing abundance of IFTs. Despite of this, tree species diversity and evenness was generally high. Degraded sites were dominated by Acacia hockii, Vitex doniana while less degraded sites had Phoenix reclinata and Vitex doniana as the most abundant species. In order to promote conservation of IFTs, bye-laws and policies on conservation need to be enforced by local governments. There is need for increased sensitization and mobilization of local communities aimed at promoting IFTs retention and management of farms, deleberate growing and protection of wild old trees including the wild natural regenaration. Value addition, proper marketing of products, improvement in processing technology and easy access to market information are required for IFT commercialization in Uganda. viii

9 1.0 INTRODUCTION The wide range of Indigenous Fruit Trees (IFTs) available in many areas across the drylands of Africa can enable farmers to meet their varied household needs for food, nutrition, medicines and general livelihood balancing. According to (NRI, 2004) tree crops play a dominant long-term role in sustaining livelihoods of many millions of smallholder producers in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) as well as influencing the incomes received by intermediaries, processors and governments. IFTs can provide an additional source of income for smallholder farmers, as well as providing a primary source of income to commercial farmers and traders. Their management in the wild or cultivation on farm is generally environmentally beneficial (NRI, 2004), however, many of the IFTs have not been promoted or received limited research and therefore remain underutilized. The mere fact that IFTs provide regular and fairly low-risk returns, brings in a particular attraction into understanding their use and conservation aspects and their relevance to household livelihood improvement. For the past decade, there has been a growing awareness of the importance of IFTs especially in SSA. This growing awareness is not only for the role they play in the subsistence economy, but also for their potential and real contribution to the economies of many developing countries. Frequent famine and droughts are increasing the incidences of hunger and poverty for over 70 million people who live in these vulnerable lands in eastern and central Africa (Jama et al., 2005). Food security and poverty alleviation among the rural communities in these areas can be improved by diversifying the existing farming systems through sustainable management and utilisation of indigenous fruit trees. Given the important role that these indigenous fruit trees play, concerted effort is needed to promote utilization and commercialisation of these fruits for improved livelihoods in the region (Chikamai et al 2004). In Uganda the highest consumption of indigenous wild fruits is prevalent in the semi-arid areas mainly found in the north and eastern parts of the country. It forms a reliable source of food while the herding communities are in the wild looking after animals for long hours and far away from home during most of the day. Despite their importance, limited research has been undertaken on IFTs as regards to their onfarm domestication and/or cultivation, market potential and even to determine their contribution to household food security and nutrition. Work carried out on the IFTs in Uganda (FORRI, 2004) looked at the major species according to use value and reliability in the Lango and Teso farming systems. The five priority species were identified to be Vitellaria paradoxa, Tamarindus indica, Carissa edulis, Vitex doniana and Ximenia americana respectively. The criteria used mostly looked at fruit taste (sourness or sweetness), colour attractiveness, fleshiness and marketability. Farmers also desired fruit trees that are resistant to pests and diseases, have a short gestation period and bear many fruits regularly. The study did not capture information on processing, marketing, propagation and the level of availability or conservation status of the species. Agea et al (2007) reported that diversity of IFTs was high (H =2.164) in the traditional milletcotton farming system in Lango although the average proportion of farmland under IFTs cover is low (22%). They also reported V. paradoxa, V. doniana, A. senegalensis and T. indica were the most preferred IFTs by the local people. A study by Musinguzi et al (2003) in south-western Uganda focusing on the utilisation of indigenous food plants revealed that wild plums (Carissa edulis) and goose berries (Physalis minima) are among the most commonly consumed fruits. There has also been some ongoing work on germplasm conservation for Carissa edulis by the Plant Genetic Resources (PGR) Programme 1

10 of the National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO) based at Entebbe Botanical Gardens. This is aimed at collecting the various varieties of C. edulis for gene bank conservation and ex-situ conservation, hence curbing the looming levels of genetic erosion (Mulumba et al., 2005). A study by Okullo (2005) on the utilisation and domestication potential of IFTs in the drylands of northern Uganda focused on assessing utilisation and potential of domesticating IFTs. The study recorded more than fifteen species on farms and rangelands. Higher in the order of diversity were Vitellaria paradoxa, Anona chrysophyla, Vitex doniana, Tamarindus indica, Carissa edulis, Borassus aethiopum, Ximenia americana, Sclerocarya birrea and Strychnos spinosa. The use preference of these species by the local people (from highest to lowest) was ranked as; V. paradoxa, V. doniana, A. chrysophylla, T. indica, V. apiculata, X. americana, C. edulis, B. aethiopum and S. spinosa. It was however noted that, V. paradoxa fetched twice more money than T. indica in the local markets. The study also showed that the species faced conservation threats due to charcoal burning. Studies on the conservation aspects of V. paradoxa in northern Uganda haved focused on indigenous knowledge (Okullo et al., 2004) its population (Okia et al, 2005) and reproductive biology and breeding (Okullo, 2004). The populations of V. paradoxa in Uganda are for instance reported to be characterised by a predominance of old trees and an alarming lack of regeneration which could be attributed to increased demand for cultivation land, drought, shortened fallows, continuous annual (wild and intended) bush fires, and destruction of the young trees during land preparation for farming after the fallow periods. In order to consolidate and broaden information on IFTs in Uganda and Eastern Africa, the National Forestry Resources Research Institute (NaFORRI) in collaboration with partner institutions in the region implemented a project entitled use and conservation of indigenous fruit tree diversity for improved livelihoods in eastern Africa. The aim of the project was to improve the livelihoods and increase incomes of rural farmers in Eastern Africa through growing, processing and marketing of indigenous fruit trees. Its three specific objectives were to; (i) carry out participatory priority setting to identify priority IFTs with market potential; (ii) gather baseline information (regarding distribution, abundance and diversity) on each of the identified IFTs; and (iii) identify potential sites for implementation of work on promoting priority IFTs in Eastern Africa (to be undertaken in phase II of the project). The project was supported by African Forest Research Network (AFORNET) and implemented by four partners (three NARS in East Africa with technical backstopping from Bioversity International). The three NARS were Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI), Tanzania Forestry Research Institute (TAFORI) and National Forestry Resources Research Institute (NaFORRI) in Uganda. This report presents the project activities in Uganda implemented over a two year project period. 2.0 STUDY AREA AND METHODS 2.1 Description of study area The project was implemented in the Teso and Lango sub-regions of Uganda (Fig.1). Most of the areas in the two sub-regions lie in the dryland belt and are popular for production and consumption of Indigenous Fruit Trees (IFTs). Teso sub-region lies between N and E and covers the current administrative districts of Soroti, Katakwi, Amuria, Kaberamaido, Kumi and parts of Pallisa. It covers an area of 14,879.6km 2 and has a population of about 1.2 million people (Fountain Publishers, 2005). Over 90% of the population is rural and depends almost entirely on agriculture. The farming system is agro-pastoral based on production of annual crops and livestock in a mixed 2

11 arragement at subsistence level. The sub-region receives bimodal rainfall with peaks in April to May and August to September, and with adry season from December to February. The rainfall received ranges from 850 1,500 mm annually and mean annual temperature is C. Altitude ranges between 1,036 1,219 m above sea level (Fountain Publishers, 2005). The vegetation is predominantly savanna and consists mainly of Butyrospermum (Vitellaria) savanna, dry Combretum savanna, moist Combretum savanna, bushlands, woodlands and swamps (NEMA, 1997). Much of the vegetation, however, has been highly degraded through poor agricultural practices, deforestation due to high demand for tree products, increased demand for agricultural land and increasing population. The Lango sub-region lies between N and E covering an area of 13,741.9 km 2 and has a population of approximately 1.3 million people (Fountain Publishers, 2005). It covers the districts of Lira, Apach, Dokolo and Amolatar. It is characterised by cultivation of annual crops like millet, groundnuts, simsim and maize. It is also well known for rearing of diverse livestock like cattle, goats, sheep and poultry. The rainfall in this sub-region is bimodal with peaks occuring during April - May and August October. Annual rainfall ranges from 1,000 1,500 mm. A short dry spell is experienced from June July and a longer dry period is from December to March. The average minimum and maximum temperatures are C and C, respectively. Altitude ranges from 700 1,140 m above sea level. Lango sub-region is mainly covered with woodland savanna. The predominant vegetation is Vitellaria savanna charaterised by Hyparrhenia spp. Large parts of the original tree-savanna have been taken over by farming and grazing (NEMA, 1997). Otuke Erute Lira Municipality Kapelebyong Moroto Amuria Dokolo Kalaki Soroti Usuk N Soroti Municipality Kioga Kaberamaido Kasilo Serere Miles Study area Water bodies Country bnd Figure 1. Map of the study area in relation to map of Uganda 3

12 2.2 Methods Species prioritization studies Initial activities under this project involved carrying out a prioritization exercise to select project species for each country and later for the three participating countries (Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda). In Uganda, project activities focused in the north eastern and mid northern drylands of Teso and Lango sub-regions respectively. The first exercise involved identification of stakeholders (farmers, traders and other active groups) that were involved in the collection, use and/or promotion of indigenous fruits in the target areas in Uganda. This was based on information gathered during the literature review and synthesis exercise complemented with further consultation. A meeting involving twenty stakeholders, mainly from research, civil society, academia, extension and farmers was organised at NaFORRI. A participatory priority setting exercise was carried out in this meeting to identify indigenous fruit trees with potential for domestication and commercialisation to improve income and livelihoods of rural communities, especially in the drylands of Uganda. The discussion during the meeting was mainly based on a list of ten IFTs generated by earlier studies (FORRI, 2004 and Okullo, 2005). The first field survey was then conducted in the Teso and Lango sub-regions between March - April 2007 to screen the IFTs in each region using farmers criteria to obtain five priority species. The prioritization of the five species per sub-region was purposely done to allow for flexibility in selecting the overall priority three species across the two sub-regions which would then be representative of the country s priority list. In Teso sub-region, the survey covered two districts of Soroti and Katakwi each with two villages, while in Lango sub-region two districts; Dokolo and Lira were covered each with three villages. A total of 10 focus groups (10 villages) with 227 participants were involved in the study in Teso and Lango sub-regions (Table 1). Selection of both study villages and farmer groups was done in consultation with the respective district and sub-county technical staff, mainly forestry officials and the National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS) Coordinators. In each district, the research team in consultation with the district technical staff recruited six field assistants who were then briefed about the IFTs research work and trained on how to administer the individual questionnaire. The identified community groups were briefed on the purpose of field survey and requested to participate in the study. The groups comprised persons with both men and women of different age categories. The location of meeting sites were recorded using a Geographical Positioning System (GPS - 12 x L Garnin). A total of 100 individual respondents (25 per site) were accessed in their homes and interviewed in the Teso sub-region while in the Lango, a total of 36 respondents were randomly picked from within the six groups. Group discussions in Teso involved general ranking of the ten common IFTs. The five top IFTs were then subjected to weigted scoring of 10 (highest) - one (lowest) as developed during the project inception workshop (Muok and Kweka, 2006). The attributes scored were; food value, economic value, availability and other uses or attributes. The top three IFTs were considered for detailed discussion in the areas of processing, storage, marketing, conservation status and pest and diseases. 4

13 In Lango, group discussions involved generating a list of the common IFTs in the village. In most cases an initial list of IFTs were generated which the group then reduced to 10 species by ranking as in Teso sub-region. After this exercise, the big group was sub-divided into smaller groups of 3-6 people based on gender and age. Much as there was variation from village to village, the following groupings were common; youth (below 25 years), adults (25-45 years) and elderly (above 45 years). These three age grouppings were further sub-divided by gender giving a total of six sub-groups per village. In one case, however, only four sub-groups were formed due to a low turn up. Each of the trained field assistants was then allocated a sub-group to work with. Each sub-group started by selecting its priority five IFTs based on food value, economic value, availability and other uses or attributes. The Field assistants then guided the sub-groups to fill detailed information on each of the priority five IFTs and this information was filled in a table. Finally, each of the six field assistants randomly selected one farmer from each sub-group to complete the individual questionnaire. The exercise generated at least six questionnaires per village (Sample questionnaire, Appendix I). The villages in the four study districts with the number of farmers who participated in the focus group discussions (FGD Guide, Appendix II) and the respective GPS locations are shown in Table 1. Table 1: GPS locations of study villages and number of paticiparting farmers in each group District Sub-conty Village Northings Eastings No. of farmers Dokolo Dokolo Atama 'N 'E 30 Dokolo Bata Onekocaani 'N 'E 25 Dokolo Agwata Agengi 'N 'E 30 Lira Adekogwok Awangdyang 'N 'E 15 Lira Amac Odipabung 'N 'E 30 Lira Abako Abako corner 'N 'E 20 Katakwi Magoro Ajamaka 'N 'E 15 Katakwi Usuk Amoru 'N 'E 31 Soroti Katine Ogwoolo 'N 'E 16 Soroti Gweri Abia 'N 'E 15 Total 277 5

14 Lango Sub-Region # # # # # Teso Sub-region # # Sub-regions # Focused groups N # # Miles Figure 2: Locations of focus group discussion sites in the study sub-regions Marketing of priority IFTs The market study was conducted in the districts of Lira and Dokolo (Lango sub-region), and Katakwi and Soroti (Teso sub-region). In each sub-region, markets were selected based on the availability of the IFTs, market location/accessibility, links with other markets and/or neighborhoods, and above all, their being functional during the week days of the study. A total of 18 markets were covered in the two subregions with 13 in Teso and five in Lango. A team of four enumerators considered to be well versed with the local language and culture were identified with the help of the district heads of departments that included mostly extension and community development workers. The enumerators were guided through the semi-structured questionnaire that was to be adopted for use after pre-testing. Selection of the respondents was based on instant identification of whoever was dealing/trading in the fruits and/or any products of any of the three regional target species (Tamarindus indica, Sclerocarya birrea, and Vitex doniana). (Sample questionnaire, Appendix III) Priority IFTs threats The same respondents in the market study were potentially treated good for the threats study. A total of 31 respondents were interviewed with 26 from Teso and 5 from Lango sub-regions (Sample questionnaire, Appendix IV). Information collected included; important local fruits sold in the village over the years (1980 s to present), the past and present sources of the three priority IFTs and trends in prices and markets over time. 6

15 2.2.4 Priority IFTs biological characterization The ecological study involved site and species characterization and it combined collection of information on species biophysical distribution, plant or vegetation association and classification. The study was conducted in the districts of Lira and Dokolo in Lango and Katakwi and Soroti in Teso. First, the species sites were identified and then plots of 60 X 60 m were located, followed by specific site characterisation. This was done to minimize on time wasted on randomly placing plots in species-free sites. Information collected in the plots included GPs locations taken at the centre, target species >10 cm dbh positions, target species regeneration tallies (< 10 cm dbh) and associated plant/tree species. Non-target species >10cm dbh were recorded as vegetative association in the plot. Percentage vegetation cover for the farmed area, bush/grass fallow, woodland, thicket and impeded or degraded areas of the plot were also recorded. A total of 12 sites/plots were located in the two sub-regions with 5 and 7 in Lango and Teso respectively (Sample field data sheet, Appendix V) Data analysis Species selection, market and threats data were coded and first entered into MS Excel computer spread sheet. Most of the figures and some tables were generated using Excel. Data were later transferred into SPSS software after cleaning for further analysis. Descriptive statistics using frequencies, cross tabulation and multiple responses were mainly used. Ecological data were entered and analyzed in Excel computer spread sheet. Analysis involved generation of tables, graphs and calculation of various indices. The species diversity index was computed using Shannon's equation; H = ( (ρilnρi), where ρi is the proportion of individuals or the abundance of the i th species expressed as a proportion of total number of individuals. The product of ρilnρi for each species in the sites was summed and multiplied by 1 to give H. The relative abundance with which each species is represented in an area was calculated using Shannon's species evenness index (J ), expressed as J = H /lns, where S is the total number of species. Species dominance was obtained using the Berger-Parker Dominance Index (d); expressed as d = Nmax/N. Where Nmax is the number of individuals of the most abundant species and N is the total number of all the different species inventoried. 3.0 RESULTS 3.1 Species prioritization Socio-economic characteristics of the respondents A total of 130 respondents were interviewed in both regions with 75% and 25% from Teso and Lango respectively. Of these about 57% were male while 43% were female (Table 2). Many of the respondents were in the age bracket of (47%) followed by those in age bracket (31%). Age brackets of >55 and <20 were less repsented with 18 % and 2% respectively. A mojority of the respondents (73%) had settled in the area for 1 30 years. Only about 14% had settled in the area for more than 30 years. A majority of the respondents belonged to the Iteso ethinic group (73%) and this was followed by the Langi (25%). The Kuman and Acholi were few represented by about 1% and 2% respectively. The dominant religious sect among respondents was Catholic (65%) followered by Pentecostal (15%) and Anglican (13%). The remaining percentage was constituted by other sects such as Muslim, Prespeterian, SDA and African respectively. Most of the respondents (61%) had only attained primary level of education while only 21% had attained secondary with 2% tertiary. About 17% had not attained any formal education (Table 2). 7

16 Table 2 Socio-economic characteristics of the respondents Variable Percentage of respondents Teso (n=97 ) Lango (n=33 ) Total (n =130) Sex of respondent Male Female Age (%) < > No response Years settled in village > No response Marital status Never married Married Divorced Separated Widowed Ethnicity Iteso Acholi Langi Kumam Religion Catholic Muslim SDA Anglican African Pentecostal Prespeterian Highest education level None Primary Secondary Tertiary Major occupation Farmer Employed Petty business Pastoralist

17 3.1.2 Household size and headship A bout half (51%) of the households had 6 10 persons while about 29% had 1-5 persons. Only 2% of the households had persons. The average household size for the two sub-regions was about 8 persons. Lango appeared to have slightly higher average household size compared to Teso. A mojority (85%) of households were male headed with the remaining percentage being female headed (Table 3). Table 3Table 3: Househod size and headship Variable Teso Lango Total Household size Average Household head Male Female Priority species selection The results for the species prioritization exercise using focus group ranking showed that the five priority species for Teso and Lango sub-regions of Uganda are; Vitellaria paradoxa, Tamarindus indica, Vitex doniana, Borassus aethiopum and Carissa edulis (Table 4). The five priority species were the same for the two sub-regions though there was interchange of their respective score positions. T. indica, for instance was priority IFT number one in Teso but in Lango it became number two being overtaken by V. paradoxa. Similarly, B. aethiopum was ranked high in Lango (position 3) but in Teso it emerged in position five being overtaken by both C. edulis (position 3) and Vitex doniana (position 4). Out of the five selected priority IFTs for the two sub-regions (Table 4), the results of the household survey revealed that a large proportion of respondents (84%) were familiar with T. indica. This was followerd by V. paradoxa (69%), C. edulis (40%), V. doniana (20%) and B. aethiopum (17%) (Table 5). Again, except for the changes in relative positions, the results closely agree with that obtained using focus group ranking. The top five priority species for the two sub-regions remained the same. 9

18 Table 4: Focus group ranking of priority IFTs in Teso and Lango Species Teso TS 1 (X/40) Lango TS 1 (X/60) Teso and Lango APS 2 (X/10) Overall species priority Rank Vitellaria paradoxa * Tamarindus indica * Vitex doniana * Borassus aethiopum * Carissa edulis * Annona seneglensis Ximenia americana Strychnos spinosa Vangueria apiculata Balanites aegyptiaca TS = Total Score for a pecies obtained using focus group ranking ( 4 groups in Teso and 6 groups in Lango). Each group scored the species on scale of 10 1 where 10 indicates most preferred and 1 least preferred. APS = Average Preference Score for the species obtained using focus groups ranking across the two sub-regions in Uganda (total of 10 groups). 10 indicates a rank of 1 st, 9 a rank of 2 nd, etc. * = indicates the priority IFTs selected for Uganda. Table 5: Respondents familiarity with different IFTs in Teso and Lango (n=130) Species Percentage* Tamarindus indica 83.8 Vitellaria paradoxa 69.2 Carissa edulis 40.0 Vitex doniana 20.0 Borassus aethopum 16.9 Ximenia americana 11.5 Balanites aegyptiaca 10.8 Annona senegalensis 6.2 Grewia molis 2.3 Obu (Luo) 2.3 Dioscorea bulbifera 1.5 Bridelia micrantha 1.5 Oduru (Luo) 1.5 Sclerocarya birrea 0.8 Strychnos spinosa 0.8 Diospyros mespiliformis 0.8 Vangueria apiculata 0.8 *Multiple responces were possible because a given respondent was mentioning up to three IFTs they are familiar with. 10