1. Forests and trees on farm for
sustainable diets
prof. dr. ir. Patrick Van Damme
Patrick.VanDamme@UGent.be
www.tropicallab.ugent.be
Ghent University, Belgium and
University of Life Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
(with inputs from the global forest expert panel)
CoP 12 - Pyeongchang 10 October 2014
2. Content
• Introduction and problem statement
• The role of biodiversity c.q. trees/shrubs
• The Congo case
– Ethnobotany – documentation of WEPs
• Methodology
• Results and discussion
– WEP contributions to local diets
• Methodology
• Results and discussion
• General conclusions
• Recommendations and future research
CoP 12 - Pyeongchang 10 October 2014
3. Introduction and problem statement
• 2010: 925 million people estimated to be undernourished
• 30% undernourished in Africa
• ‘hidden hunger’ = micronutrient deficiencies: 2 billion people
• only 30 species provide 95% of energy and protein needs in the
world
• 30,000 of the 250,000 – 270,000 plants formally described have been
collected or cultivated by humans for food
• many of them remain underutilized, although they may have
excellent nutritional characteristics
CoP 12 - Pyeongchang 10 October 2014
5. Introduction and problem statement
• Convention on Biological Diversity (1992) stresses the importance of
agricultural biodiversity for food security and natural resource
conservation; ‘Conservation through use’ principle
• evidence is still circumstantial, but: many authors argue that it is
compelling to assume that increased agricultural and forest
biological diversity leads to a more varied diet, which in turn
improves specific health outcomes
• But: it still remains unclear how (much) biodiversity actually
contributes to the nutrition and livelihoods of the poor (see review
Peñafiel et al. (2011), infra)
CoP 12 - Pyeongchang 10 October 2014
6. Introduction and problem statement
poor nutrition in various forms occurs in all
countries around the world
malnutrition can result from a lack or excess of
certain nutrients, or nutrients in the wrong
proportions
CoP 12 - Pyeongchang 10 October 2014
7. Introduction and problem statement
– acute malnutrition (wasting or thinness)
– chronic malnutrition (stunting or short stature)
– micronutrient malnutrition; and
– overweight and obesity are all pressing public
health issues, often co-existing in the same
populations
CoP 12 - Pyeongchang 10 October 2014 7
8. Introduction and problem statement
underlying causes of malnutrition, i.e.:
– lack of access to sufficient, high-quality, safe and
acceptable food ;
– deficient health environment; and
– inadequate childcare practices
continue to lead to high rates of (child) malnutrition,
morbidity and mortality
CoP 12 - Pyeongchang 10 October 2014 8
9. The role of biodiversity c.q. trees/shrubs
hypothesis/rationale: biodiversity at three levels—
ecosystems, the species they contain and the
genetic diversity within species—can contribute to
food security and improved nutrition (Toledo &
Burlingame, 2006)
we stress the need for/potential of trees/shrubs, as
they can have multiple roles in the landscape,
production system, livelihoods…
CoP 12 - Pyeongchang 10 October 2014 9
12. World Production (2012)
0 50,000,000 100,000,000 150,000,000 200,000,000 250,000,000 300,000,000
Cashew nuts, with shell
Avocados
Cocoa, beans
Grapefruit (inc. pomelos)
Coffee, green
Rubber, natural
Fruit, citrus nes
Mangoes, mangosteens, guavas
Apples
Oil, palm fruit
Tree crop
Value
(Metric
tons)
CoP 12 - Pyeongchang 10 October 2014
14. Agroecology in practice
Coffee and cocoa agroforestry systems
Coffee agroforestry system in Costa Rica
CoP 12 - Pyeongchang 10 October 2014
15. The role of biodiversity - assumptions
• wild (plant/animal) species and intraspecies biodiversity have key roles in
global food security
• different varieties/ecotypes/accessions/... have (statistically) different
nutrient contents
• acquiring nutrient data on existing biodiversity is a prerequisite for
development of new crops/speculations
• formal nutrient content data need to be among criteria in cultivar
development/promotion
• nutrient data for wild foods and cultivars need to be systematically
generated, centrally compiled and widely disseminated
• biodiversity questions and/or prompts need to be included in food
consumption surveys
• acquiring nutrient and intake data for varieties/(eco/pheno)types/... is
essential in order to understand the impact of biodiversity on food security
CoP 12 - Pyeongchang 10 October 2014 15
17. The role of biodiversity (Penafiel et al.)
in general, locally available foods were found to be important sources of
energy, micronutrients, and dietary diversification in the diet of rural
and forest communities living in highly biodiverse ecosystems
current evidence shows local food biodiversity as an important contributor
to nutritious diets
findings are, however, limited to populations living in highly biodiverse
areas
research on the contribution of biodiversity to diets of industrialized and
urban settings needs more attention
more studies/instruments are needed that would measure the dietary
contribution of local biodiversity
CoP 12 - Pyeongchang 10 October 2014 17
18. The role of biodiversity
although underutilized crops have traditionally been
used for and are still known as sources of food,
fibre, fodder, oil and medicine
their potential contribution to food security,
nutrition, health, income generation, and
ecosystem services for the well-being of mankind is
still largely under-documented and under-exploited
CoP 12 - Pyeongchang 10 October 2014 18
19. The role of biodiversity
also, based on our own field research, it is our
contention that...
use of underutilised species is indeed/still under-documented
and/but
actual use is probably over-rated and might be under
pressure from westernised food habits
CoP 12 - Pyeongchang 10 October 2014 19
20. Example: Kisangani area (DRC) -
ethnobotany
• preference ranking exercises
for wild fruits and wild
vegetables with separate
gender groups
– taste
– economic value
– nutritional value
– socio-cultural value
• identification of plants in
Herbarium of National Botanical
garden of Brussels (BR);
duplicates are deposited in
UNIKIS
CoP 12 - Pyeongchang 10 October 2014
21. results and discussion…
• 166 WEPs (165 species and 2 varieties)
within 71 families for the Turumbu,
Mbole and Bali together
• Apocynaceae : 12 species, Malvaceae
(10 species), Rubiaceae (8 species),
Zingiberaceae and Dioscoreaceae (each
6 species)
•72 species for the first time cited as
edible for the region
•85 WEPs in Turumbu, Liengola (2001)
58, but 14 not in our study
•Mbole and Bali never studied before
‘Lopha’ ‘bakale’ Panda oleosa
‘Ketchu’ ‘Mbikondi’
Piper guineense
CoP 12 - Pyeongchang 10 October 2014
22. Plant parts used Number of plants
fruits 68
seeds 20
leaves 53
tubers 10
trunk, stem & stem sap 15
bark 11
leaf buds 2
young sprouts 2
flowers 5
roots 7
immature fronds
(ferns) 1
whole plant 1
palm heart 2
fruit shell 1
TOTAL 198
Specific use Number of plants
fruit 67
leafy vegetables 40
condiment 25
tea substitute 24
nut 18
starch 11
other vegetables 10
strenghtener 15
water substitute 7
indigenous vinegar 6
palm wine 3
oil 2
TOTAL 228
CoP 12 - Pyeongchang 10 October
2014
23. Yalungu
54 species
Yasekwe
63 species
Yaoseko
77 species
4 3
1
2 45 14
16
35
Turumbu
85 species
Mbole
99 species
Bali
86 species
23
18
39
35
9 7
Bafwabula
59 species
Bavoy
71 species
Bafwambalu
63 species
6
2
15
48
3
6
6
Yaleko
68 species
Olife
58 species
Lefundelo
62 species
14
13
10
31
10 4
17
Turumbu Mbole
Bali
CoP 12 - Pyeongchang 10 October 2014
24. WEPs in nutrition - methodology
• study area:
– 6 municipalities in Kisangani city
– Yaoseko: rural Turumbu village (34 km west to Kisangani)
• sample:
– 241 adult women in Kisangani city, all ethnicities mixed (40 per
municipality, 41 in Lubunga)
– 129 Turumbu women in Yaoseko village
– 122 Turumbu women in Kisangani city
• period of highest WEP availability (July-October)
• two multiple-pass 24h recalls with women
• some socio-economic characteristics
• food composition table (proxies…)
• lucille food analysis software – usual intakes via MSM
CoP 12 - Pyeongchang 10 October 2014
25. WEPs in nutrition – results and discussion
• diet mainly based on cassava
tubers (71.8%; 79.9% and 98.8% of
recalls in Kisangani, Turumbu city
and Turumbu village samples
resp.)
• in the city also some rice (62.6%;
45.9% and 5.1% of recalls)
• combined with cassava leaves
(54.6%; 54.5% and 62.5% of
recalls)
• caterpillars (19.5%; 31.5% and
23.1% of recalls)
CoP 12 - Pyeongchang 10 October 2014
26. WEPs in nutrition – results and discussion
• only 15 WEPs figured in a marginal
number of recalls
– 1 wild yam
– 2 wild nuts
– 4 wild leafy vegetables
– 3 wild fruits
– 5 wild spices
• safou, a native, underutilized fruit
species was mentioned most
frequently, but still... (in only 4.0%;
6.4% and 30.1% of recalls)
CoP 12 - Pyeongchang 10 October 2014
27. Food group Kisangani city Turumbu city Turumbu village P2
Energy (kcal) 3 % total
energy 4
Energy (kcal) 3 % total
energy 4
Energy (kcal) 3 % total
energy 4
Cereals 539.9 ± 210.9 a 25.0 355.2 ± 177.5b 19.7 39.3 ± 81.6 c 2.1 0
Roots and tubers 383.4 ± 192.6 a 17.5 401.6 ± 168.5 a 22.3 847.7 ± 345 b 45.4 0
Wild yam - -
Nuts & pulses 170.5 ± 111.8 a 7.8 139.5 ± 164.7 a 7.7 19.1 ± 70.9 b 1.0 0
Wild nuts - - -
Vegetables 61.2 ± 23.5 a,b 2.8 57.6 ± 25.4 a 3.1 62 ± 24.8 b 3.3 0.055
Wild vegetables - - 2.2 ± 7.5 0.1
Fruits 39.8 ± 61.9 a 1.8 30 ± 49.5 a 1.7 95.8 ± 94.1 b 5.1 0.001
Wild fruits - - 9 ± 40.7 0.5
Safou 12.1 ± 51 a 0.6 11.7 ± 36.7 a 0.6 89.6 ± 107.2 b 4.8 0
Meat/Poultry/Offal 58.5 ± 93.6 a 2.7 32 ± 82.7 b 1.8 27.9 ± 33.7 b 1.5 0.0004
Bush meat fresh - - 5.7 ± 27.6 0.3
Smoked bush meat 17.7 ± 50.3 0.8 9.9. ± 26.2 0.6 19.9 ± 26 1.0 0.11
Fish and fish products 41.8 ± 35 a 1.9 30.7 ± 34.9 b 1.7 21 ± 23.2 c 1.1 <0.001
Eggs - - -
Milk/milk products 16.4 ± 40.1 a 0.8 11.6 ± 38.7 a 0.6 0.5 ± 3.8 b 0.0001
Oils and Fats 719.6 ± 196.1 a 33.0 623.8 ± 261.2 b 34.6 663.4 ± 236.4 a,b 35.5 0.0004
Sugars 101.9 ± 89.8 a 4.7 56.4 ± 72.7 b 3.1 29.4 ± 35.3 c 1.6 0
Miscellaneous 18.7 ± 30.6 0.9 16.9 ± 53.2 0.9 31.7 ± 84.4 1.7 0.054
Wild spices 0.2 ± 1.7 <0.1% - 0.4 ± 2.4 <0.1%
Mushrooms 0.4 ± 1.9 a <0.1% 0.6 ± 2.8 a,b <0.1% 1.4 ± 3.7 b 0.1 0.0034
Caterpillars 13.5 ± 27.5 0.6 16.2 ± 19.1 0.9 14.9 ± 23.6 0.8 0.59
CoP 12 - Pyeongchang 10 October 2014
28. Nutrient Kisangani
(n=182)
% women
under
RDA²
Turumbu city
(n=108)
% women
under
RDA²
Turumbu
Yaoseko
(n=80)
% women
under
RDA²
P³
Weight (g) 1039.64 ± 275.14 a 872.35 ± 271.83 b 1062.88 ± 354.48 a <0.001
Energy (kcal) 2102 ± 444.19a 1715.08 ± 599.57 b 1779.37 ± 564.85 b <0.001
Energy density
205.47 ± 23.0 a 196.13 ± 26.21 b 169.34 ± 21.9 c <0.001
(kcal/100g)
Energy from protein (%) 9.24 ± 2.13 a 9.36 ± 2.1 a 7.56 ± 1.98 b <0.001
Energy from lipids (%) 44.78 ± 5.42 46.19 ± 6.4 44.18 ± 8.06 0.0686
Total carbohydrate (g) 4 260.79 ± 64.1 a 211.71 ± 64.82 a 241.62 ± 94.55 b <0.001
Fibre (g) 4 22.48 ± 8.73 17.59 ± 8.76 18.81 ± 7.56 0.4021
Vitamin A (μg RE) 4 4240.06 ± 898.37 a 0 3886.47 ± 764.4 b 0 4301.83 ± 768.44 b 0 <0.001
Vitamin C (mg) 4 89.39 ± 23.46 a 3.85 86.17 ± 29.34 b 5.56 165.61 ± 74.22 c 0 <0.001
Thiamine (mg) 4 1.03 ± 0.27 a 63.19 0.95 ± 0.36 b 72.2 1.07 ± 0.41 c 61.25 <0.001
Riboflavin (mg) 4 2.07 ± 0.73 a 3.85 2.55 ± 1.88 b 7.41 2.52 ± 2.02 b 13.75 <0.001
Niacin (mg) 4 9.12 ± 2.87 a 93.4 8.08 ± 3 b 96.3 7.44 ± 2.76 a 97.5 <0.001
Vitamin B-6 (mg) 4 1.73 ± 0.51a 24.18 1.55 ± 0.43 b 31.48 2.40 ± 1.1 c 21.25 <0.001
Folate (μg) 4 219.18 ± 58.84 a 100 202.9 ± 65.88 b 100 238.08 ± 86.34 c 93.75 <0.001
Vitamin B-12 (μg) 4 1.44 ± 0.58 a 93.4 1.28 ± 1.49 a 87.03 0.6 ± 0.57 b 97.5 <0.001
Calcium (mg) 4 406.23 ± 104.98 a 100 384.87 ± 138.13 b 99.07 541.91 ± 245.64 c 95 <0.001
Iron (mg) 4 11.89 ± 3.67 a,b 100 8.93 ± 2.89 a 100 10.42 ± 4.22 b 100 0.0154
CoP 12 - Pyeongchang 10 October 2014
Zinc (mg) 4 6.46 ± 2.1 a 91.8 5.04 ± 1.8 a 99.07 3.89 ± 1.9 b 97.5 <0.001
29. WEPs in nutrition – results and discussion
• huge gap between knowledge and effective use of WEPs
• WEPs are insufficiently consumed to contribute to nutrition security
• urban nor rural people valorize their knowledge on WEPs to
complement and ameliorate their diets
• despite they are not frequently used, there exists a lot of WEPs in
the region with interesting nutritional characteristics such as
– Gnetum africanum; Treculia africana; etc.
• women were eager to know more about WEPs and their health
characteristics
• development of food-based dietary guidelines based on local foods
and integrating WEPs
CoP 12 - Pyeongchang 10 October 2014
30. the role of trees/forest-based systems – some
emerging conclusions…
tree/forest-based food systems offer a number of
advantages over permanent (crop) agriculture
given their adaptability to a broader range of
environmental conditions (e.g., soils, topography
and climate) and the diversity of food products
derived from them
CoP 12 - Pyeongchang 10 October 2014 30
31. the role of trees/forest-based systems – some
emerging conclusions
question:
How do these different land use-patches interact
with each other in space and time to influence the
productivity and sustainability of forest-food
systems ?
CoP 12 - Pyeongchang 10 October 2014 31
32. the role of trees/forest-based systems – some
emerging conclusions
things to do…
collect data, especially at the global and national
level, on the actual extent of most of these
systems, the numbers of people who rely on one or
more such systems to meet their household food
and/or income needs, and the relative value of
different food systems on the diets and health of
those who manage them, with emphasis on
nutritional value of the different species…
CoP 12 - Pyeongchang 10 October 2014 32
33. the role of trees/forest-based systems – some
emerging conclusions
things to do…
... in order to inspire/guide/inform policy-makers,
planners and development agencies seeking to
improve the lives of food-insecure populations
CoP 12 - Pyeongchang 10 October 2014 33
34. the role of trees/forest-based systems – some
emerging conclusions
objective:
combine the best of traditional and formal scientific
knowledge to enhance their productivity and direct
(food and nutritional security) and indirect (income)
benefits to their practitioners
CoP 12 - Pyeongchang 10 October 2014 34
35. Thanks for your attention
CoP 12 - Pyeongchang 10 October 2014
Notes de l'éditeur
Abstract: Agrobiodiversity is a vital subset of biodiversity: many people&apos;s food provision and livelihood security depend on the sustained availability and management of various biological resources (both within and outside of their production systems) that are important for food and agriculture. Natural forests and trees-on-farms constitute a prime source of potentially interesting species. Although the common wisdom leads us to believe that the latter are a ready source of food (and other byproducts), &apos;hard&apos; research often fails to quantify their importance. The presentation will highlight a few examples where wild edibles have been studied, and will show that there is an urgent need to further investigate what species contribute which kind of nutrients to local diets.
source: Poor nutrition in various forms is seen in all countries around the world. Malnutrition can result from a lack or excess of certain nutrients, or nutrients in the wrong proportions; acute malnutrition (wasting or thinness); chronic malnutrition (stunting or short stature); micronutrient malnutrition; and overweight and obesity are all pressing public health issues, often co-existing in the same populations. The underlying causes of malnutrition- lack of access to sufficient, high-quality, safe and acceptable food; a deficient health environment; and inadequate childcare practices- continue to lead to high rates of child malnutrition, morbidity and mortality
source: Poor nutrition in various forms is seen in all countries around the world. Malnutrition can result from a lack or excess of certain nutrients, or nutrients in the wrong proportions; acute malnutrition (wasting or thinness); chronic malnutrition (stunting or short stature); micronutrient malnutrition; and overweight and obesity are all pressing public health issues, often co-existing in the same populations. The underlying causes of malnutrition- lack of access to sufficient, high-quality, safe and acceptable food; a deficient health environment; and inadequate childcare practices- continue to lead to high rates of child malnutrition, morbidity and mortality
source: Poor nutrition in various forms is seen in all countries around the world. Malnutrition can result from a lack or excess of certain nutrients, or nutrients in the wrong proportions; acute malnutrition (wasting or thinness); chronic malnutrition (stunting or short stature); micronutrient malnutrition; and overweight and obesity are all pressing public health issues, often co-existing in the same populations. The underlying causes of malnutrition- lack of access to sufficient, high-quality, safe and acceptable food; a deficient health environment; and inadequate childcare practices- continue to lead to high rates of child malnutrition, morbidity and mortality
source: http://www.aseanfood.info/Articles/11016486.pdf
Food composition provides an important link for biodiversity and nutrition. Biodiversity at three levels—ecosystems, the species they
contain and the genetic diversity within species—can contribute to food security and improved nutrition. The Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI) are leading a new
international initiative on biodiversity for food and nutrition under the umbrella of the Convention of Biological Diversity. The overall
aim is to promote the sustainable use of biodiversity in programmes contributing to food security and human nutrition, and to thereby
raise awareness of the importance of this link for sustainable development. Further research is needed to increase the evidence base by
filling our knowledge gaps with better inventories and more data on composition and consumption. If nutrient analysis and data
dissemination of the various food species and intra-species diversity are systematically undertaken, national information systems for food
and agriculture will be strengthened and can be used to form the basis for priority setting and national policy making. For nutrition, this
will mean introducing more compositional data on biodiversity in national food composition databases and tables; developing and using
dietary assessment instruments that capture food intake at the species and variety/breed level; and allowing food labelling that
encourages awareness of food plant varieties and food animal subspecies. Nutrition and biodiversity feature directly the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs): halve the proportion of people who suffer from hunger; and ensure environmental sustainability. In
combination, a nutrition and biodiversity initiative provides the very foundation for achieving these MDGs.
Global estimates of tree cover (percent) on agricultural land (from Zomer et al. 2009)
Agroecology and ethnoecology are key disciplines to understanding and systematizing the ecological rationale inherent in traditional agriculture (from Altieri 2004)
World production value of major tree crops (FAOSTATS, 2012)
The basic land sparing / sharing framework from Phalan et al. (2011)
Flow diagram of search
strategy and selection process of
articles on the contribution of biodiversity to human diets.
source: http://www.aseanfood.info/Articles/11016486.pdf
Food composition provides an important link for biodiversity and nutrition. Biodiversity at three levels—ecosystems, the species they
contain and the genetic diversity within species—can contribute to food security and improved nutrition. The Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI) are leading a new
international initiative on biodiversity for food and nutrition under the umbrella of the Convention of Biological Diversity. The overall
aim is to promote the sustainable use of biodiversity in programmes contributing to food security and human nutrition, and to thereby
raise awareness of the importance of this link for sustainable development. Further research is needed to increase the evidence base by
filling our knowledge gaps with better inventories and more data on composition and consumption. If nutrient analysis and data
dissemination of the various food species and intra-species diversity are systematically undertaken, national information systems for food
and agriculture will be strengthened and can be used to form the basis for priority setting and national policy making. For nutrition, this
will mean introducing more compositional data on biodiversity in national food composition databases and tables; developing and using
dietary assessment instruments that capture food intake at the species and variety/breed level; and allowing food labelling that
encourages awareness of food plant varieties and food animal subspecies. Nutrition and biodiversity feature directly the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs): halve the proportion of people who suffer from hunger; and ensure environmental sustainability. In
combination, a nutrition and biodiversity initiative provides the very foundation for achieving these MDGs.
source: Jones, M. and Sanyang, S. (2009)
Hier ook heel even het aantal soorten meegeven dat ook voor andere doeleinden gebruikt kan worden.
Usual intakes: allows eliminating intra-person variation of nutrient intake
Forest-based food systems have historically played a major role in meeting the food security and nutritional needs of people worldwide. These systems, ranging from manipulation of intact forest ecosystems, through shifting cultivation and a wide variety of agroforestry systems to tree crops and orchards, are still dominant elements of rural landscapes in many parts of the world. Most are based primarily on traditional knowledge, which has been crucial to their development and modification over generations to meet diverse and changing environmental conditions and socioeconomic needs. These systems offer a number of advantages over permanent (crop) agriculture given their adaptability to a broader range of environmental conditions (e.g., soils, topography and climate) and the diversity of food products derived from them.
Forests and associated food production systems are part of broader economic, political, cultural and ecological landscapes that typically include a mosaic of different food production systems and other land uses. How these different land use-patches interact with each other in space and time to influence the productivity and sustainability of forest-food systems is a critical question that demands greater attention to better understand and resolve the conflicts and trade-offs that can exist in broader landscapes given the multiple competing goods and services that people seek to derive from them.