Tropical forests contain many tree species that have supplied edible fruits for centuries.These fruits have contributed to human diets due to their richness in nutrients,vitamins,minerals,antioxidants and their low an...Tropical forests contain many tree species that have supplied edible fruits for centuries.These fruits have contributed to human diets due to their richness in nutrients,vitamins,minerals,antioxidants and their low antinutrients content.We investigated the antioxidant,nutritional and anti-nutritional composition of Garcinia kola and Chrysophyllum albidum fruit parts.The nutritional,anti-nutritional and antioxidant compositions differed depending on the fruit part.Irrespective of fruit part,moisture content was high（72–93 %）.While the edible part（fruit pulp） of C.albidum proved a better source of protein（4）,fibre（17 %） and fat（2 %）,the seed kernel was a better source of ash（2 %） and carbohydrate（15 %）.Carbohydrate（22 %）,protein（2 %）,fat（1 %） and fibre（3 %） were higher in G.kola seed kernel（edible part） than in the pulp and pod.Anti-nutrient content in G.kola and C.albidum fruits was low,indicating that their consumption would not pose nutritional or health problems.The antioxidant compositions（especially phenolic content（10–21 mg g-1） and DPPH（1,1-diphenyl–2 picrylhydrazyl）（26–55 %）） of C.albidum fruit pulp and G.kola seed kernel were high,implying that they could be good sources of natural antioxidants and could be used as supplements in food manufacturing.展开更多
Background： The role of wild foods in combating problems of food shortage is paramount. However, existin, approaches to combat food insecurity shock have generally focused on reducing vulnerability via increasing pro...Background： The role of wild foods in combating problems of food shortage is paramount. However, existin, approaches to combat food insecurity shock have generally focused on reducing vulnerability via increasing productivity of domesticated foods. In contrast, approaches that enhance resilience mainly through wild fooc sources have been less focused. This study examined the contribution of wild foods to household resilience to food insecurity in the green famine belt of Ethiopia. Methods： A cross-sectional survey of 220 households was conducted using a structured questionnaire, key informant interviews, and semi-participant observations. Factor analysis was run using SPSS to analyze data. Correlation analysis was used to examine the direction and strength of association between wild foods and the income and food access （IFA）, a latent proxy indicator of resilience. Cross-tabulation was also run to determine the proportion of households in each ethno〈ulture group under each resilience category. Results： The mean amount of wild foods obtained by households was 156.61 kg per household per annum. This was about 5 % and 9 % of, gross and, net food available from all sources respectively. Wild foods contributed well to household resilience as the factor loading （Factor2 = 0.467） was large enough and were significantly correlated with IFA （r-- 0.174）. Wild vegetables were the most collected and consumed type of wild foods constituting 52.4 % of total amount of wild foods. The total amount of wild foods was smaller than that of domesticated sources of food. The majority of households （38.6 %） reported ＂reduced source of wild foods＂ as a reason for this. Smaller proportion of the indigenous （11.2 %） than the non-indigenous （34.1%） ethno-culture group reported one or more reasons for their lower level of dependence on wild foods. Conclusion： From the study we concluded that wild foods had important contribution to households＇ resilience to food shortages and are likely to continue to contribute in the future, this being more to indigenous than non-indigenous ethno-culture group. Therefore, a resilience building policy that incorporates wild foods should be adopted, and research that aims at exploring their current status and future prospect are urgently required.展开更多
The dynamics and performance of soil biota during forest rotation were studied in monoculture beech stands forming a chronosequence of four different age-classes(30,62,111,153 yr).Biomass was monitored in major groups...The dynamics and performance of soil biota during forest rotation were studied in monoculture beech stands forming a chronosequence of four different age-classes(30,62,111,153 yr).Biomass was monitored in major groups of microflora,microfauna,mesofauna,and macrofauna.Resource availability(litter layer,soil organic mater),biomass of the two dominant decomposer groups(microflora,earthworms)as well as the biomass of mesofauna and microfauna were found to remain quite stable during forest succession.Nevertheless,the marked increase of the biomasses of primary decomposers(fungi,saprophagous macroinvertebrates)in the 62-year-old stand,followed by an increase of the biomasses of macropredators in the 111-year-old stand,indicate substantial changes of several components of edaphic communities during forest development.However,constant values of soil respiration suggest that the overall performance of the soil food web does not change during beech forest succession.Thus,the decomposer system of lowland managed beech forests on calcareous soils seems to be very stable over time.We suggest that earthworm activity might have masked impacts of forest development on other soil biota and led to an astounding stability of decomposer assemblages during beech forest rotation.展开更多
Non-timber forest products provide important socio-economic services to different village and urban communities in West Africa. However, little is known about the links between the different actors and their contribut...Non-timber forest products provide important socio-economic services to different village and urban communities in West Africa. However, little is known about the links between the different actors and their contribution to the local or national economy. This study was conducted in central southern Niger and aimed to 1) identify and map the main actors in the value chain of <em>Ziziphus mauritiana</em> and <em>Balanites aegyptiaca</em> fruits;and 2) analyse the silvicultural and socio-economic aspects of fruit exploitation of these two species. Socio-economic surveys were conducted in four big villages in two main agroecological zones. Fruit exploitation of these two species affected 3044 people, with estimated 39 tonnes of <em>Z. mauritiana and</em> 27 tonnes of <em>B. aegyptiaca</em> fruit collected in 2017. The surveys revealed that the main actors were women (62.05%), constituting the primary core of the actors of the value chain. Exploitation was mainly conducted in forests (68.6%) or on farms (15.4%) with no restrictions to access. Marketing of <em>Z. mauritiana</em> concerned fresh fruit (68.8%) and fruit processed into biscuits (82.14%), and that of <em>B. aegyptiaca</em> involved fruit (38.5%) and oil extracted from seeds (38.7%);the net margin was estimated at 71.71% ± 21.59% for the first species and 50.31% ± 47.99% for the second. The income was mainly used for the needs of farmers’ households. Links have been identified where consumers and processors supply seeds, after extracting the fruit pulp, to nurserymen for the production of plants for the villages or farms. This study reveals an important potential and opportunity for job creation and improved food and nutritional status of the vulnerable strata of rural communities in Niger. Improving the links between the various actors will establish a more sustainable promotion of the fruits of these two species.展开更多
基金supported by Alexander von Humboldt Foundation(Av H),Bonn,Germany
文摘Tropical forests contain many tree species that have supplied edible fruits for centuries.These fruits have contributed to human diets due to their richness in nutrients,vitamins,minerals,antioxidants and their low antinutrients content.We investigated the antioxidant,nutritional and anti-nutritional composition of Garcinia kola and Chrysophyllum albidum fruit parts.The nutritional,anti-nutritional and antioxidant compositions differed depending on the fruit part.Irrespective of fruit part,moisture content was high（72–93 %）.While the edible part（fruit pulp） of C.albidum proved a better source of protein（4）,fibre（17 %） and fat（2 %）,the seed kernel was a better source of ash（2 %） and carbohydrate（15 %）.Carbohydrate（22 %）,protein（2 %）,fat（1 %） and fibre（3 %） were higher in G.kola seed kernel（edible part） than in the pulp and pod.Anti-nutrient content in G.kola and C.albidum fruits was low,indicating that their consumption would not pose nutritional or health problems.The antioxidant compositions（especially phenolic content（10–21 mg g-1） and DPPH（1,1-diphenyl–2 picrylhydrazyl）（26–55 %）） of C.albidum fruit pulp and G.kola seed kernel were high,implying that they could be good sources of natural antioxidants and could be used as supplements in food manufacturing.
文摘Background： The role of wild foods in combating problems of food shortage is paramount. However, existin, approaches to combat food insecurity shock have generally focused on reducing vulnerability via increasing productivity of domesticated foods. In contrast, approaches that enhance resilience mainly through wild fooc sources have been less focused. This study examined the contribution of wild foods to household resilience to food insecurity in the green famine belt of Ethiopia. Methods： A cross-sectional survey of 220 households was conducted using a structured questionnaire, key informant interviews, and semi-participant observations. Factor analysis was run using SPSS to analyze data. Correlation analysis was used to examine the direction and strength of association between wild foods and the income and food access （IFA）, a latent proxy indicator of resilience. Cross-tabulation was also run to determine the proportion of households in each ethno〈ulture group under each resilience category. Results： The mean amount of wild foods obtained by households was 156.61 kg per household per annum. This was about 5 % and 9 % of, gross and, net food available from all sources respectively. Wild foods contributed well to household resilience as the factor loading （Factor2 = 0.467） was large enough and were significantly correlated with IFA （r-- 0.174）. Wild vegetables were the most collected and consumed type of wild foods constituting 52.4 % of total amount of wild foods. The total amount of wild foods was smaller than that of domesticated sources of food. The majority of households （38.6 %） reported ＂reduced source of wild foods＂ as a reason for this. Smaller proportion of the indigenous （11.2 %） than the non-indigenous （34.1%） ethno-culture group reported one or more reasons for their lower level of dependence on wild foods. Conclusion： From the study we concluded that wild foods had important contribution to households＇ resilience to food shortages and are likely to continue to contribute in the future, this being more to indigenous than non-indigenous ethno-culture group. Therefore, a resilience building policy that incorporates wild foods should be adopted, and research that aims at exploring their current status and future prospect are urgently required.
基金funded by the EU in the context of the FORCAST project
文摘The dynamics and performance of soil biota during forest rotation were studied in monoculture beech stands forming a chronosequence of four different age-classes(30,62,111,153 yr).Biomass was monitored in major groups of microflora,microfauna,mesofauna,and macrofauna.Resource availability(litter layer,soil organic mater),biomass of the two dominant decomposer groups(microflora,earthworms)as well as the biomass of mesofauna and microfauna were found to remain quite stable during forest succession.Nevertheless,the marked increase of the biomasses of primary decomposers(fungi,saprophagous macroinvertebrates)in the 62-year-old stand,followed by an increase of the biomasses of macropredators in the 111-year-old stand,indicate substantial changes of several components of edaphic communities during forest development.However,constant values of soil respiration suggest that the overall performance of the soil food web does not change during beech forest succession.Thus,the decomposer system of lowland managed beech forests on calcareous soils seems to be very stable over time.We suggest that earthworm activity might have masked impacts of forest development on other soil biota and led to an astounding stability of decomposer assemblages during beech forest rotation.
文摘Non-timber forest products provide important socio-economic services to different village and urban communities in West Africa. However, little is known about the links between the different actors and their contribution to the local or national economy. This study was conducted in central southern Niger and aimed to 1) identify and map the main actors in the value chain of <em>Ziziphus mauritiana</em> and <em>Balanites aegyptiaca</em> fruits;and 2) analyse the silvicultural and socio-economic aspects of fruit exploitation of these two species. Socio-economic surveys were conducted in four big villages in two main agroecological zones. Fruit exploitation of these two species affected 3044 people, with estimated 39 tonnes of <em>Z. mauritiana and</em> 27 tonnes of <em>B. aegyptiaca</em> fruit collected in 2017. The surveys revealed that the main actors were women (62.05%), constituting the primary core of the actors of the value chain. Exploitation was mainly conducted in forests (68.6%) or on farms (15.4%) with no restrictions to access. Marketing of <em>Z. mauritiana</em> concerned fresh fruit (68.8%) and fruit processed into biscuits (82.14%), and that of <em>B. aegyptiaca</em> involved fruit (38.5%) and oil extracted from seeds (38.7%);the net margin was estimated at 71.71% ± 21.59% for the first species and 50.31% ± 47.99% for the second. The income was mainly used for the needs of farmers’ households. Links have been identified where consumers and processors supply seeds, after extracting the fruit pulp, to nurserymen for the production of plants for the villages or farms. This study reveals an important potential and opportunity for job creation and improved food and nutritional status of the vulnerable strata of rural communities in Niger. Improving the links between the various actors will establish a more sustainable promotion of the fruits of these two species.
