Medicinal trees in smallholder agroforestry systems: Assessing some factors influencing cultivation by farmers East o

1. Medicinal trees in smallholder agroforestry systems: Assessing some factors influencing cultivation by farmers East of Mt. Kenya Jonathan Muriuki Kiura

2. Presentation summary • The research problem • Research concept and objectives • Study area and methods • Results and discussions • Conclusions and recommendations

3. The problem Majority of Africa population is poor and ravaged by treatable diseases but can’t afford modern medicine

4. An example of malaria – quick facts Source: World Malaria Report 2008

5. Who offers treatment in Africa?

6. Traditional medicine, mainly herbal, has been substantially managing African health but is under threat Medicine Plant Knowledge Phyto-medicines rely on two elements, plants(of which over 60% are perennial trees and shrubs) and theknowledgeassociated with their use. Either alone is useless.

7. Herbal medicine relying on wild plants collection is not viable because biodiversity in Africa is threatened by agriculture, urbanization etc and forests lost to below 10% in many countries (e.g. 1.7% in Kenya at present) Extent of forest and other wooded land in Eastern Africa compared to Austria by 2005

8. With increasing trade and TM use, medicinal plant resource depletion is abundant and cultivation has been recommended as a possible solution But that is very easy for herbs (annuals) if appropriate germplasm and products markets are accessible. For trees and other long rotation woody perennials that poses a big challenge due to having to wait long and as long as wild resources are available and perceived to be a common good

9. Conservation through use under cultivation - What would be the ideal trend of growth in material supply as knowledge of use improves?

10. Research questions • How do socio-economic factors influence the decisions by farmers to cultivate or conserve medicinal plants? • How does ecology influence use and cultivation of medicinal tree species? Main hypothesis The level of medicinal tree cultivation (Mc) is a factor of germplasm availability (g), species ecology (e – climate, soil and competition), local disease burden perception with appropriate knowledge on use of medicinal trees (k), and availability of market for medicinal tree products (m). Mc = f(g, e, k, m, α)

11. Conceptual framework General Conceptual Frame on farmer adoption of an agricultural practice Adapted from FAO (2001)

12. Motivates especially if not extractive harvesting Seedling quality as well as access and cost may demotivate Other Products Timber, food, ethno veterinary, etc Access to inputs Household Consumption Germplasm (g) Self treatment knowledge (k) Smallholder production sub-system Wild sources Medicinal trees (C) Alternatives Clinical Medicine Production Technology Income If alternative perceived better then only this path taken Cultivation ecology (e) Niche defines quality and interaction with crops (opportunity cost to land and labour Sold to Markets (m) Human Capital Demotivates depending on access and abundance Motivation to plant Fig. Conceptual framework showing some factors expected to influence cultivation of medicinal trees by smallholder farmers

13. Objectives • To collate the perspectives of farmers and herbalists on the factors influencing their preference and cultivation of tree species with medicinal value • To assess the influence of local disease burden perception and knowledge of herbal treatment on the efforts by farmers and herbalists to cultivate medicinal trees • To explore the contribution of farm grown herbal material to medicinal tree product markets and its effect on medicinal tree cultivation • To explore how germplasm access by farmers and on-farm tree nurseries influence medicinal tree cultivation • To explore motivational drivers of cultivation and the scope for herbalists’ and traders’ utilization of farm produced medicinal tree products

14. The study area • 3 districts (Embu, Mbeere and Meru central) • Population density 100-500 persons / sq km • Nine agroecological zones (LM5 to LH1) • Rainfall – 500 -2600mm; • Altitude 500 -2500masl • Soils – varying from nitisols to ferrasols • Mixed-crop and livestock agric systems • Good tree planting culture

15. Data collection methods • Farmer group meetings - cultural domain analysis - 13 groups • Individual interviews - analysis with SPSS • 200 farmers • 60 herbalists • 60 nursery operators • 55 market players in 3 cities • Species abundance surveys in farms, forests and herbalist gardens - analysis with BiodiversityR • Personal observations • Triangulations - interview responses tested with empirical measurements

16. Interview survey results Medicinal species present in farms and herbalist gardens • Farms – 295 total species (trees – 45%, shrubs – 27% and herbs – 28%) • Herbalists’ gardens – 203 total species (trees – 40%, shrubs – 27% and herbs – 33%) • 60 species known as medicinal by farmers but not recorded in any farm (22 trees, 26 shrubs and 12 herbs) • Do farmers know more species than herbalists?????

17. Factors influencing cultivation Herbalists knowledge issue was only a species treating many diseases

18. Species highly preferred for cultivation

19. Summary on farmers and herbalists’ perceptions • Herbalists preferred trees that treat more diseases and are scarce – farmers knowledge then markets • Farmers in Mbeere influenced by germplasm availability than markets • Multiple use of species not very important to influence both farmers and herbalists • Cultivation technology rated low – but factors such as appropriate niches and farm sizes important • Women farmers rated knowledge, markets and multiple use higher than men • Trees on farm correlated loosely with the frequency of species preference • Usually one tree per household is enough for self treatment and neighbours can use

20. Most socio-economically important diseases

21. Disease effect management by farmers

22. Number of species used in treating important diseases

23. Highly ranked species in treatment of most important diseases

24. Farmers’ sources of knowledge on use of medicinal plants for disease treatment Most information passed through genealogy and herbalists contribution is low!

25. Who speaks about importance of medicinal tree cultivation to farmers?

26. So knowledge of medicinal tree species varies with socio-demographic categories Number of species known increased with age, district harshness, and use but decreased with education level attained by respondent Key: Gender -1(Female), 2 (Male); Age in years – 1 (<25), 2 (25-35), 3 (35-45), 4 (55-65), 5 (>65); Level of education attained – 1 (not schooled), 2 (primary level), 3 (village polytechnic), 4 (secondary), 5 (post secondary); District – 1 (Embu), 2 (Mbeere), 3 (Meru Central); First responseto ailment - 1 (find a medicinal plant), 2 (buy an over the counter drug), 3(consult a medical clinic or hospital), 4 (consult a herbalist)

27. Does farmer’s knowledge influence cultivation

28. Summary on farmers knowledge on TM and its influence on med tree planting • No difference in rating of disease economic importance between farmers and herbalists rate -same as hospitals • Medicinal trees play role in household health • Herbalists use more of wild species while farmers use agroforestry species more • Farmers learn about medicinal trees from relatives and cultivation mainly own initiative • The medicinal species present in farms influenced more by the species known little by the perception of the socioeconomic importance of diseases

29. Medicinal plant markets and cultivation of medicinal trees Final products Herbal clinics Pre-processors

30. Sources of herbal materials in markets The numbers show the average per trader for each parameter; n=55

31. Traders’ preference for source of medicinal plant materials

32. But farmers reported little connection to markets Summary on trade • Trade in medicinal trees was rising but farmers were not participating in any significant manner • Most of indigenous tree species were traded collected from the wild – threats • Two thirds of traders who purchased materials preferred farm sourced materials – mostly in the final products category • Getting materials at little or no costs contributes to more wild collection – distance may discourage but not tested in this study

33. Focus on tree seedling sources Herbalists with nurseries (numbers are % n = 60)

34. Presence of highly preferred species in nurseries

35. Sources of medicinal trees in farms

36. Summary on seedling sources • Farmers were mainly planting medicinal trees from wildlings • Demand for medicinal species lower than timber and higher than fruits and fodder in Meru; lower than fruits and fodder in Mbeere and fruits in Embu • Demand for medicinal seedlings higher than supply in nurseries – but not all species • Need investment in diversifying germplasm in both private and herbalist nurseries

37. Key species abundance surveys (focus on 30 most preferred) • Farms • In twenty farms and ten herbalist gardens in each district • Key species abundance • Age/size class distributions relating to regeneration method • Niche in the farm • Other competing household or market uses of the species Forests and woodlands (herbalist in team) • Species abundance • Age/size distributions • Evidence of harvesting method damage

39. Species abundance survey results

40. General abundance of species in surveyed farms, forests and herbalists’ gardens

41. 30 top species accumulation curves 25 20 Species richness Species richness Herbalist gardens/farms Mbeere Embu Meru Forest and woodlands MbeereEmbuMeru 10 20 Sites • More abundance in forests and woodlands in Mbeere than Embu and Meru • Herbalists in Embu and Meru plant more – response to scarcity • Not much difference in abundance in smallholder farms in the three districts but smallholders generally plant less 20 Species richness Smallholder farms Mbeere Embu Meru 20 Sites

42. 30 top species Renyi profiles Mbeere Embu Meru H-alpha H-alpha H-alpha Forests and districts Herbalists and districts Farms and districts 25 Mbeere Embu Meru Species richness H-alpha H-alpha Forests and distance RP Forests and distance SAC Combined >5 km from village <5 km from village

43. Age and Dbh class comparisons • More planting by herbalists in the lower age classes than farmers • More lower size classes in farms than forests • But farmers only 30% of the species were said to be primarily for medicinal use by farmers compared to 66% by herbalists

44. Is there potential for herbalists and traders to use farm-grown herbal material in future? • Cluster analysis based on ecological preferences for herbal medicine raw material sources by herbalists and traders • Options for ideotype improvement preference:- 1. Least important; 2. A bit important; 3. Important; 4. Most important

45. Summary findings on species abundance • Highly preferred medicinal trees were more abundant and even in herbalist gardens than farms and forests • There were more lower age and size classes in herbalist gardens hence diversity may increase in future • Herbalists planted more in areas where diversity was less in forests • There were no specific niches that mimicked forests that herbalists preferred to plant medicinal trees • More herbalists and traders preferred medicinal trees sourced from forests but not necessarily farm niches that mimicked forest situations • Upto 67% of the current traders and herbalists can switch preference to farm grown herbal material if forest trees were not very accessible

46. General conclusions • Farmers maintain medicinal tree species on farms for household health insurance – only one tree is enough per household • The more trees known the more conserved • Herbalists not engaged in conservation advocacy and young and educated farmers least informed • Herbalists cultivation is increasing as a response to scarcity – good entry to ensure diversity in farms • Trade in medicinal trees’ products is growing and could stimulate cultivation • Strategies needed to support nurseries in dry areas as current abundance will disappear fast • Empirical measurements supported survey responses

47. Recommendations - actions • Involve herbalists and tree nursery operators in extension on medicinal trees information • Further development of markets and link to farmers • Policy incentives to promote cultivation and discourage wild collection • Germplasm conservation and production linking herbalists and nursery operators • Policies to develop arid areas as future sources of medicinal tree material • Further research on influence of various cultivation approaches on medicinal tree active component concentration

48. Multi-stakeholder approach needed to collate and share information with farmers on • Useful medicinal species for what diseases • Markets needs (MIS) • High quality germplasm sources • Appropriate cultivation technologies

49. Recommendations - top species for domestication priority – matrix ranked • Azadirachtaindica • Aloe sp • Warburgiaugandensis • Caesalpiniavolkensii • Prunusafricana • Zanthoxylumchalybeum • Strychnoshenningsii • Sennadidymobotrya • Moringaoleifera • Dalbergiamelanoxylon • Leonotismollissima • Croton macrostachyus • Croton megalocarpus • Oleaeuropaeasspafricana • Psidiumguajava • Osyrislanceolata • Plectranthusbarbatus • Erythrinaabyssinica • Rhamnusprinoides • Fagaropsisangolensis

50. Olea europaea ssp africana Senna didymobotrya Dalbergia melanoxylon Azadirachta indica Zanthoxylum chalybeum Aloe sp Moringa oleifera Warburgia ugandensis