Developing fruit tree portfolios that link agriculture more effectively with nutrition and health: a new approach for providing year-round micronutrients to smallholder farmers

Abstract

A sufficient intake of fruits can alleviate micronutrient deficiencies and reduces the risks of a number of associated diseases. In many parts of sub-Saharan Africa, however, the production and consumption of fruits are inadequate on average and in particular so in specific seasons. To better incorporate fruits into local food systems while addressing the challenge of seasonal availability, World Agroforestry (ICRAF) has developed a methodology based on “fruit tree portfolios” that selects socio-ecologically suitable and nutritionally important fruit tree species for farm production, to meet local consumption needs. We here present this approach and illustrate it with data from a case study involving Western and Eastern Kenya. The approach uses mixed methods to capture on-farm fruit tree diversity and seasonality at a household level (n = 600 in our case study), the months of household’s food security and insecurity (n = 600) and food consumption patterns at an individual level, to identify dietary gaps (n = 294 women and child pairs in our example). In our case study, 31 fruit tree species were reported on farms in our Western Kenya sample (9 of which were indigenous) and 51 (27 indigenous) in Eastern Kenya. In addition, the median number of food-insecure months per household was four (ranging from 0 to 9 months) in Eastern Kenya and three (0 to 12 months) in Western Kenya. Finally, using 24-h recalls the proportion of women that had consumed a fruit the day before the interview was around 55% in Western Kenya and 80% in Eastern Kenya, with consumption averaging 93 and 131 g, respectively. Using these parameters for each site and fruit tree phenology and food composition data sets, we derived context-specific recommendations that involve promoting 11 fruit tree species to address micronutrient gaps.

Determinants of Children’s Fruit Intake in Teso South Sub-County, Kenya—A Multi-Phase Mixed Methods Study among Households with Children 0–8 Years of Age

“…East African farms often feature wild, indigenous (semi-domesticated) and domesticated fruit trees, either on the farm or in its vicinity. In Eastern Kenya, over half of the fruit trees found on farms were found to be indigenous fruit trees [ 35 ]. A wide range of other wild and indigenous fruit trees is also found off-farm [ 23 ]; however, this is not reflected in the consumption patterns.…”

“…Another study in the same region found a positive correlation between fruit tree diversity and decreasing farm size, mainly attributed to the multi-purpose possibilities offered by many trees [ 41 ]. Trees can provide not only foods such as fruits, but also timber, medicines, fodder and different ecosystem services [ 35 ]. Nyaga et al [ 42 ], found that the diversity of fruit tree species increased with decreasing resource endowment.…”

Contribution of forests and trees to food security and nutrition

“…The quantity, frequency and type of forest food used varies greatly from one place to the next (Powell et al 2015;Rowland et al 2016): from occasional supplementation to a very high level of dependence. The diversity of plant species in tree-based systems and the differences in their fruiting phenology help ensure all year-round food availability, including availability of particular micronutrients, such as vitamins (Vira et al 2015;McMullin et al 2019). Forests and trees, used as a reserve of fodder, can support livestock production and increase animal-sourced food consumption among poor rural communities living in or near forests.…”

“…For instance, a wider diversity of fruit tree species in agroforestry systems can help prevent or limit seasonal shortages in fruit supply (Jamnadass et al 2011;Vinceti et al 2013;McMullin et al 2019).…”

Conceptual Links between Landscape Diversity and Diet Diversity: A Roadmap for Transdisciplinary Research

“…And further, soils with increased nutrients can translate into micronutrients in food (Frossard et al 2000 , Lal 2009 , Arhin and Kazapoe 2017 , Wood et al 2018 ). The inclusion of fruit trees in agroforestry systems is also important to improving fruit consumption (McMullin et al 2019 ).…”