Monthly Archives: November 2015

A smarter approach to locating African tree species

zzeUB34cbU92BoJoZwuhvaiuVgiY5IalvBhribG6Jbc,or1aHnx6OnyyMnjXbqQOaEUp0ruG9_99cy51NKVoRtoWhat if there was a simpler way of locating suitable tree species for an area rather than the usual time consuming process of surveying, testing and trial and error? Better still, what if you could have the results by just a click of a button and at your convenience? Well, this vision has now been actualized by the World Agroforestry Center (through funding from the Department for International Development (DFID) UK and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) project on “Filling Knowledge Gaps on the Restoration of Degraded Smallholder Landscape Mosaics”. Through this project, the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) have designed a semi-offline mobile phone application based on the vegetationmap4africa that enables users to identify suitable tree species for conservation, production and agricultural purposes in a given area.

The application, available on Google Play Store for Android phones, is based on Potential Natural Vegetation (PNV) and enables one to locate suitable tree species at the current location, within East Africa countries namely Uganda and Kenya. An accuracy of 1 kilometer is assured in dense forests or vegetation and 500 meters for less dense areas.

-vukNNrzqUTvIkobTvMW3B_QFFHJP54pkFoqOoJCP-gExtension and field staff in government and non government organizations in East Africa will find the application helpful when designing restoration, and agroforestry projects at their sites, and also when working with farmers and farmer groups, to advise on which trees are likely to be suitable in local areas, based on the needs of the individual farmer.

By tapping on the “Species Finder” button for the area mapped, the user can then select the particular use that they are most interested in. For example, wood, human consumption, animal, and environmental, among other uses. In addition, each use has sub categories listing suitable tree species by their taxonomy names for one’s specific need. For instance, under wood uses, various species are listed specific to firewood, charcoal, electricity poles, behives, etc.

Article6bAlternatively, one can tap on any area of the map provided to find out the current vegetation type and species present. The application can be used while offline once installed allowing it to be easily used in the field.

The application designers, are keen to hear feedback from users, including what they would like included to make the tool more effective and useful in the future. There are plans to develop a similar application for other brands of phones, and to include more local names as well as where the selected tree species can be found in local nurseries.

Click here to download the app

Could superfood help save Haiti’s forests?

moringatree-haitiHaiti is the most impoverished country in the northern hemisphere, and trees, or the lack thereof, are part of the problem. After centuries of agricultural exploitation and the population’s demand for charcoal and fuel wood, 98 percent of Haiti’s landscape is deforested, leaving the country vulnerable to environmental disasters. In 2008, four storms in quick succession resulted in flooding responsible for 800 deaths and $1 billion in damage. The massive earthquake that same year killed more than 220,000 people.

Numerous studies have supported the link between deforestation and poverty in the country. One hundred thousand children under the age of five suffer from acute malnutrition, less than half of households have access to safe water, and one-third of the women and children are anemic. Everyone from conservationists to actor Sean Penn sees trees as the answer. The question is, which trees?

Some believe the answer could be moringa, a native of the Himalayan foothills in northwestern India and the latest imported ingredient anointed with “It Superfood” status (see also: quinoa, acai, chia). The tree—called variously “the miracle tree,” “tree of life,” “mother’s best friend,” and the “never die tree”—can shoot from seed to 15-foot stature in the span of a year; flourishes in hot, dry subtropical climates; and can be put to use from root to pod. Nutritionally, moringa has more calcium than milk, more vitamin C than oranges, more vitamin A than carrots, more iron than spinach, more potassium than bananas, and just as much protein as eggs.

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Rwanda’s success story on FMNR practices

FMNR2A review of World Vision’s Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR) project in East Rwanda has revealed an increase in the rates of adoption from 7,500 to 13,400 smallholder farmers. The success attributed to extension agents who by word of mouth spread the word on the land generation technique has also translated to an increase in areas managed with FMNR practices and transformed livelihoods through the sale of grafted seedlings.

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