Open access copy available
Forests as safety nets for mitigating the impacts of HIV/AIDS in southern AfricaBACKGROUND70% of the people infected with HIV/AIDS are in Southern Africa, and the disease is perpetrating the already existing poverty in the continent. The impacts of the disease have led to livelihood change, as more funds in households are channeled to health care. To cater for these pressures and shocks households can resort to the use of forest products and in trading them to generate income. Some families have begun to rely on traditional remedies due to their low cost. Open access copy available |
Contributions of agroforestry to ecosystem services in the miombo eco-region of eastern and southern AfricaBACKGROUNDOpen access copy available |
Distribution and genetic diversity of five invasive pests of Eucalyptus in sub-Saharan AfricaBACKGROUNDPlantation forestry in Sub- Saharan Africa has been characterized by an introduction of several Eucalyptus species because of their socio- economic benefits. However, these Eucalyptus trees have been affected by non- native foliage feeding insect pests, which have been accidentally introduced, resulting in stunted growth and in some cases mortality. The rate of introduction of non-native eucalypt-feeding insects globally has increased nearly five-fold between the 1980s and 2010s. Open access copy available |
Garden Plants in Zimbabwe: Their ethnomedicinal uses and reported toxicityBACKGROUNDIn Zimbabwe, there are several plants that have been grown in homes for primary survival and for aesthetic reasons, both exotic and indigenous species. The properties of some of these plants is unknown yet some have been discovered to be poisonous to humans and livestock. Some cases of plant poison have been accidental, hence there is need to protect the public from the toxicity of these plants. Open access copy available |
Research on Indigenous Knowledge and its Application: A Case of wild food plants of ZimbabweBACKGROUNDThere has been so much emphasis on the documentation of Indigenous Knowledge due to the fear that it is getting lost. However, little attention has been given to the application of this knowledge and how it should benefit indigenous communities. Hence this study drew its research on wild food plants of Zimbabwe and attempted to show how indigenous knowledge can be applied in education and community settings. Open access copy available |
Assessment of causes that contribute to the occurrence of plantations forests fires in Niassa Province, North of MozambiqueBACKGROUNDThe government of Mozambique started to promote exotic forest plantations (pine & eucalyptus) because of low natural forest productivity, population growth and land use pressure. Niassa province was one of the provinces for this plantation program. However, fires in these commercial plantations have brought an enormous risk for companies, yet these companies provide the greatest source of employment for the local people. Open access copy available |
A comparative study of medicinal plants used in rural areas of Namibia and ZimbabweBACKGROUNDDespite the adoption of Western pharmaceutical drugs in developing countries, traditional medicine produced from wild plants is still the source of primary health care. In some countries up to 90% of the people rely on traditional medicines. Few studies have done a comparative analysis of the herbal medicines in Africa. Open access copy available |
Livelihoods diversification and gender in MalawiBACKGROUNDMore than 50% of the population of Malawi lives in rural areas, in extreme poverty. Women and men have significantly different roles in the making of livelihoods. The country’s economy is based on agriculture which is vulnerable to many shocks, forcing the people to diversify to other economic activities. Male headed and female headed homes respond differently to these shocks. Malawi’s gender policy is aiming at reducing the current gender of disparities. Open access copy available |
Revisiting IPCC Tier 1 coefficients for soil organic and biomass carbon storage in agroforestry systemsIntroductionWhile agroforestry systems cover a signifcant amount of land worldwide and have the capacity to sequester large amounts of carbon, they are often not considered in climate change mitigation. Most importantly, the IPCCC does not recognize them in carbon accounting primarily because there is so much diversity in the systems. Open access copy available |
Coffee Farming and Climate Change in Ethiopia: Impacts, Forecasts, Resilience and OpportunitiesIntroductionThis document is the outcome of a two-year project by the Strategic Climate Institutions Programme (SCIP). The project aimed to established strategies for a climate-resilient coffee economy in Ethiopia in which the effects of various climate change factors on coffee production and wild coffee forests were acccessed. Open access copy available |
