Challenges and Decision Making in Cultivation of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants

Dajić-Stevanović, Zora; Pljevljakušić, Dejan

doi:10.1007/978-94-017-9810-5_8

Cited by 16 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“…Currently, cultivation is an essential strategy for conserving and maintaining sustainable natural stocks, but, in fact, just a few medicinal plants are cultivated [32,195]. Massive cultivation can control the natural resources by managing wild harvesting and subsequently, it can assist medicinal plants survival in its natural habitat [21,[265][266][267]. Rigorous research on the raw material's journey to finished products involving socio-economic and ecological aspects should be examined.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Asian Medicinal Plants’ Production and Utilization Potentials: A Review

2019

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Medicinal plants research in Asia continues to receive significant national and international attention, particularly concerning its multiple roles in poverty alleviation and health care support. However, scientific information on the institutional arrangements, the potentials of different medicinal plants production systems, and the utilization methods, remain highly fragmented. This incomprehensive information base shades the development of a comprehensive research agenda to improve the current body of knowledge, at least in the context of Asia. To address this impasse and propose future research perspectives, we systematically reviewed 247 journal articles, 15 institutional reports, and 28 book chapters. From the reviews, five key lessons are drawn: (i) Asian medicinal plant production systems demonstrate some dynamics, characterized by a gradual but continuous shift from wild gathering to cultivation, (ii) sub-regional variations exist with regards to the appreciation of medicinal plants potentials for traditional healing, modern healthcare and livelihoods support, (iii) knowledge on the effect of multi-scale institutional arrangements (formal and informal) on medicinal plant management practices is fragmented, (iv) very few studies dwell on the challenges of medicinal plants commercialization, particularly with regards to the role of middlemen, boom–bust cycle, raw material readiness, and product quality, and (v) law enforcement, benefit and knowledge sharing, and research and development should be prioritized to serve the interest of medicinal plants production actors. To further extend the body of knowledge on medicinal plants in Asia, we advance the need for empirical investigations on the performance of medicinal plants production systems and their contribution to livelihoods in diverse institutional contexts.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Asian Medicinal Plants’ Production and Utilization Potentials: A Review

2019

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“…However, some common issues facing producers of medicinal plants include abundance and accessibility of wild populations in certain areas, agro-environmental conditions that are different from those in areas with naturally occurring plant populations, labor availability and costs, investments in machinery, post-harvest processing, and profitability of production [74,75].…”

Section: Agronomic and Agro-ecological Issuesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Constraints to Cultivation of Medicinal Plants by Smallholder Farmers in South Africa

Nwafor

Madamombe-Manduna

2021

Horticulturae

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Growing demand for therapeutic products from indigenous medicinal plants has led to increased interest in its cultivation, which presents a viable option for improving smallholder farmers’ livelihoods, as well as sustaining the availability of these resources for future generations. Serious bottlenecks however exist for subsistent farmers in the cultivation of these valuable plants. It was pertinent to probe whether the cultivation of medicinal plants provides feasible solutions to rural poverty, while effectively conserving threatened indigenous biodiversity. The paper employed a comprehensive review of existing literature to explore issues constraining smallholder farmers from involvement in a potentially lucrative plant value chain. Findings indicate challenges such as inadequate domestication of valuable plants species, continued over-harvesting from wild populations, poor knowledge of required agronomic practices, low efficacy perception regarding derivatives from cultivated plants, among others. These constraints occur alongside the conservation-oriented strategy driven by international conservation agencies and wholly adopted by the South African government. Recommendations to improve smallholder involvement in the cultivation of medicinal plants include support to research and extension, targeted inducement to smallholders, contracting and off-take agreements, aimed at promoting an alternative poverty-alleviation-focused economic development strategy. The review adds to the conceptual discourse related to plant diversity, resource conservation, poverty alleviation, and economic development

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Section: Agronomic and Agro-ecological Issuesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cultivation of Medicinal Plants by Smallholder Farmers in South Africa: Constraints to Commercialization

Nwafor¹

2020

Preprint

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South Africa has an abundant heritage of valuable indigenous plants with recognized medicinal value. The reported critical over-harvesting of wild populations is considered an urgent issue for biodiversity conservation. Growing demand for therapeutic products from indigenous medicinal plants have led to increased interest in its cultivation. Cultivation of these indigenous medicinal plants represent a viable option for improving smallholder farmers’ livelihoods, as well as sustaining the availability of these resources for future generations. Serious bottlenecks however exists for subsistent farmers in the cultivation of these valuable plants. It was pertinent to probe whether the cultivation of medicinal plants provide feasible solutions to rural poverty, while effectively conserving threatened indigenous biodiversity. The paper employed a comprehensive review of existing literature to explore relevant issues constraining smallholder farmers from involvement in a potentially lucrative medicinal plants value-chain. Findings indicate challenges such as inadequate domestication of valuable plants species, continued over-harvesting from wild populations, poor knowledge of required agronomic practices, low efficacy perception regarding derivatives from cultivated plants, among a multitude of others. These constraints exists alongside the conservation-oriented strategy driven by international conservation agencies and wholly adopted by the South African government. Recommendations to improve smallholder involvement in the cultivation of medicinal plants include support to research and extension, targeted inducement to smallholders, contracting and off-take agreements, aimed at promoting an alternative poverty-alleviation-focused economic development strategy. The review adds to the conceptual discourse related to plant diversity, resource conservation, poverty alleviation and economic development within the medicinal plants value-chain.

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Challenges and Decision Making in Cultivation of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants

Cited by 16 publications

References 54 publications

Asian Medicinal Plants’ Production and Utilization Potentials: A Review

Asian Medicinal Plants’ Production and Utilization Potentials: A Review

Constraints to Cultivation of Medicinal Plants by Smallholder Farmers in South Africa

Cultivation of Medicinal Plants by Smallholder Farmers in South Africa: Constraints to Commercialization

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