The Potential of Indigenous Wild Foods

85 Pages·2001·0.5 MB·English

The Potential of Indigenous Wild Foods
Workshop Proceedings, 22-26 January 2001

April 2001
Funding provided by:
USAID/OFDA
Implementation provided by:
CRS/Southern Sudan
Proceeding compilation and editing by:
Catherine Kenyatta and Amiee Henderson, USAID contractors
The Potential of Indigenous Wild Foods
Workshop Proceedings, 22–26 January 2001
April 2001
Funding provided by: USAID/OFDA
Implementation provided by: CRS/Southern Sudan
Proceeding compilation and editing by:
Catherine Kenyatta ([email protected]) and
Amiee Henderson ([email protected]), USAID contractors
ii
Contents
Setting the Stage: Southern Sudan Conflict and Transition v
Acronyms and Abbreviations ix
DAY TWO: JANUARY 23, 2001
Session One
Chair: Brian D’Silva, USAID 1
Official Welcome
Dirk Dijkerman, USAID/REDSO 1
Overview of the Workshop
Brian D’Silva 1
Potential of Indigenous Food Plants to Support and Strengthen Livelihoods in Southern Sudan,
Birgitta Grosskinsky, CRS/Sudan, and Caroline Gullick, University College London 2
Discussions/comments from the floor 5
Food Security and the Role of Indigenous Wild Food Plants in South Sudan
Mary Abiong Nyok, World Food Programme, Christine Foustino, Yambio County Development
Committee, Luka Biong Deng, Sudan Relief and Rehabilitation Association, and Jaden Tongun
Emilio, Secretariat of Agriculture and Animal Resources 6
Discussion/comment from the floor 9
Session Two
Chair: Brian D’Silva 10
The Wild Foods Database for South Sudan
Birgitta Grosskinsky and Caroline Gullick 10
Discussions/Comments from the floor 10
Food Source Diversification: Poetntial to Ameliorate the Chronic Food Insecurity in Ethiopia,
Getachew Olana 12
Discussions/Comments from the floor 30
DAY THREE: JANUARY 24, 2001
Session Three
Chair: Monica Opole, CIKSAP 31
Wild-Food Plants in Ethiopia: Reflections on the Role of “Wild-Foods” and “Famine-Foods”
at the Time of Drought
Yves Guinand and Dechassa Lemessa, UN-Emergencies Unit for Ethiopia 31
Discussions/Comments from the Floor 46
iii
Domestication of Indigenous Wild Food Plants
Rudy Schippers, NRI 47
Indigenous Vegetable Species in Tanzania
Damas Marandu, HORTI Tengeru 48
Informal Discussion on the Role of Indigenous Wild Foods in Somalia
Mahdi Kayad and Suleiman Mohamed, Food Security Assessment Unit/Somalia (FAO) 49
Discussion/Comments from the Floor 49
Non-Timber Forest Products in Central Africa: Issues of Conservation and Cultivation
Laurie Clark, Consultant in Non-Timber Forest Products 50
Session Four,
Chair: Monica Opole 55
Traditional Food Plants of Bulamogi County, Kamuli District (Uganda): Preliminary Findings
John Tabuti, Department of Botany, Makerere University 55
Discussions/Comments from the Floor 56
The Nutritional and Medicinal Importance of Indigenous Food Plants
Christine S. Kabuye and Grace W. Ngugi, National Museums of Kenya 57
Discussion/Comments from the Floor 60
DAY FOUR: JANUARY 25, 2001
Session Five
Chair: Brian D’Silva 61
Indigenous Wild Food Plants: Their Future in Kenya
Patrick Maundu, Kenya Resource Center for Indigenous Knowledge 61
Discussion/Comments from the Floor 62
Experiences with Indigenous Vegetables Conservation Through Use
Monica Opole, CIKSAP 63
Discussion/Comments from the Floor 63
Indigenous Wild Food Plants in Coastal Regions of Kenya
Mohamed Pakia, Coastal Forest Conservation Unit 65
DAY FIVE: JANUARY 26, 2001
Session Six
Chair: Brian D’Silva 66
Vision and Goals of the IWFP Research and Development Activities 66
Workshop Programme 70
Participants List 72
iv
Setting the Stage: Southern Sudan
Conflict and Transition1
During the 45 years since independence Sudan has These characteristics of the Sudan emergency are
witnessed relative peace for only 11 years between what led USAID to adopt a rehabilitation-oriented ap-
1972 and 1983. From 1956 to 1972, southern proach for the zones of stability within southern
Sudanese fought for independence from the North in Sudan. Stability, which has increased over the past
the Anyanya I conflict. From the time this conflict five years, has created the necessary conditions for
ended with the signing of a peace agreement in Addis the provision of less traditional food aid and the provi-
Ababa in 1972, the South experienced peace and a sion of more assistance aimed at economic recovery.
certain degree of self-determination in a federated (See Maps 1-3) The USAID approach differs from
union with the North. However, conflict other donors because of the size of the share of its
emerged again in 1983 with the start of the assistance that has gone toward rehabilitation-oriented
Anyanya II insurrection. activities. Since it first began to fund these types of
activities in 1993, USAID has contributed 4.4 percent
Although the players and dynamics have varied
of its total assistance (more than $24 million) to reha-
through the different stages of conflict, the themes
bilitation-oriented activities in the West Bank. This fig-
and matters of dispute have remained relatively con-
ure includes $3 million in development assistance
stant. The issues have been freedom of religion for the
funds obligated as part of a total of $7 million for the
non-Muslim South, imposition of Islamic law in the
three-year STAR program, which started in 1998.
South and economic underdevelopment and exploita-
tion of the South by the North. Various peace efforts The indigenous wild food plant study in southern
have been undertaken, but none have succeeded, and Sudan is one of the projects supported by USAID
although it is clear that the war cannot continue indefi- which is intended to provide better information on the
nitely, there appears to be no end in sight. tremendous resource base already existing in southern
Sudan and the potential for indigenous wild food
What sets Sudan apart from other humanitarian disas-
plants (IWFPs) to play a vital role in attaining food
ters throughout the world is its duration, magnitude,
and cost. Since the disaster began 18 years ago in
1983, it has been estimated that more than 2 million 1 The information in this section was taken from “Evolution of
Sudanese have died from war-related causes. In addi- a Transition Strategy and Lessons Learned: USAID
Funded Activities in the West Bank of Southern Sudan,
tion, over 80 percent of southern Sudan’s estimated
1993 to 1999,” by Anne O’Toole Salinas, USAID/Bureau
population of five million has been displaced at some
for Africa, and Brian C. D’Silva, USAID/Regional Eco-
time since 1983. Currently, it is estimated that there
nomic Development Services Office, East and Southern
are four million internally displaced Sudanese—the Africa. A copy of this paper can be found at http://
largest displaced population in the world.2 Over the www.dec.org/pdf_docs/PNACF763.pdf.
past 10 years, the U.S. Government alone has pro-
2Millard Burr, “Quantifying Genocide in Southern Sudan and
vided more than $1 billion in humanitarian assistance the Nuba Mountains,: 1983–1998” (U.S. Committee for
to Sudan, of which $834 million was provided by Refugees, December 1998).
USAID.3 It is estimated that the international commu-
3 Unclassified State Department Cable 107180, 092046Z (June
nity spends $1 million in humanitarian assistance to 9, 1999). “Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance Commod-
Sudan each day, while the GOS is estimated to spend ity/Service Report (as of June 22, 1999)”. US Overseas
approximately the same amount each day to finance Loans and Grants: Series of Yearly Data. “BHR/FFP
FY98 Support for Programs in Sudan, as of September 30,
its war effort.
1998.” “BHR/FFP FY99 Support for Programs in Sudan,
June 2, 1999.”
v
security. With more information about what people eat nity discussions. The Workshop on the Potential of
and when, donor agencies will have a better idea of Indigenous Food Plants, held in Diana, Kenya, 22-26
nutrition needs. In southern Sudan, the IWFPs study January 2001, was an effort to extend lessons and in-
included field surveys, data collection, and commu- formation from the Sudan experience and to assess
similar work in the region.
Map 1: Southern Sudan 1992

vi
Map 2: Southern Sudan 1994

vii
Map 3: Southern Sudan 1998

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Glossary of Acronyms and
Abbreviations
AETFAT Association for the Taxonomic Study of the Tropical African Flora
ATI Appropriate Technology International
AVDRC Asian Vegetable Development Research Centre
CARPE Central African Regional Program for the Environment
CFCU Coastal Forest Conservation Unit
CIKSAP Centre Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Products
CRS Catholic Relief Services
CRTA Crop Resources of Tropical Agriculture
CTA Technical Center for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation
DfID Department for International Development
DRC Democratic Republic of Congo
EFC Ethiopian Food Corporation
FAO Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
FSAU Food Security Assessment Unit
ICRAF International Centre for Research in Agroforestry
ICT Information and communication technology
IDEAS Institute for Development, Environmental and Agricultural Studies, south Sudan
IDRC International Development Research Centre (Canada)
IPGRI International Plant Genetic Resources Institute
IPR Intellectual property rights
IRSAT Insitut de Recherches en Sciences Appliquees et Technologiques, Burkina Faso
ITDG Intermediate Technology Development Group
IWFP World Food Programme
KENRICK Kenya Resource Centre for Indigenous Knowledge
KSE Kenya Society of Ethnoecology
MINEF Ministry of Environment and Forests, Cameroon
NAPRECA Network on Natural Product Research for East and Central Africa
NARO National Agricultural Research Organization, Uganda
NGO Non-governmental organization
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