Browsing by Author "Nyamukuru, Antonia"

Now showing 1 - 7 of 7
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    Agroforestry and Management of Trees in Bunya County, Mayuge District, Uganda
    (International Journal of Forestry Research, 2017) Kyarikunda, Monica; Nyamukuru, Antonia; Mulindwa, Daniel; Tabuti, John R. S.
    Woody plant resources continue to disappear in anthropogenic landscapes in Uganda. To slow down further loss of these resources requires the collaboration of farmers in tree planting in agroforestry systems. Tree planting interventions with the collaboration of farmers require a good understanding of tree management practices as well as trees that best satisfy farmers’ needs.We carried out this research to determine (1) the most preferred tree species and reasons why they are preferred, (2) the species conservation statuses, and (3) existing tree management practices and challenges to tree planting. Fourteen priority species valued because they yield edible fruits and timber have been prioritised in this study. Farmers are interested in managing trees but are constrained by many factors, key among which is scarcity of land and financial capital tomanage tree planting. Trees aremanaged in crop fields and around the homestead. Fromfarmers’ reports, the highly valued species are increasing in the landscape. In conclusion, the potential to manage trees in agroforestry systems exists but is hampered by many challenges. Secondly, the liking of trees that supply edible fruits seems to support the welfare maximisation theory which ideally states that rural people manage trees with the aim of having regular access to products that satisfy their household needs and not for income generation.
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    Crop diversity in homegardens of southwest Uganda and its importance for rural livelihoods
    (Agriculture and Human Values, 2018) Whitney, Cory W.; Luedeling, Eike; Tabuti, John R. S.; Nyamukuru, Antonia; Hense, Oliver; Gebauer, Jens; Kehlenbeck, Katja
    Homegardens are traditional food systems that have been adapted over generations to fit local cultural and ecological conditions. They provide a year-round diversity of nutritious foods for smallholder farming communities in many regions of the tropics and subtropics. In southwestern Uganda, homegardens are the primary source of food, providing a diverse diet for rural marginalized poor. However, national agricultural development plans as well as economic and social pressures threaten the functioning of these homegardens. The implications of these threats are difficult to evaluate, because the structure and functions of the homegardens are not well understood. The aim of the study was to identify patterns and influencing factors in the diversity of homegardens by documenting the floristic diversity and its interactions with spatial, environmental and socio-economic factors. A geographically and socially focused assessment of floristic diversity in 102 randomly selected homegardens in three districts of southwest Uganda was conducted along a deforestation gradient following a human ecology conceptual framework and testing multiple quantitative hypotheses regarding the above mentioned factors. A merged mixed-method approach was followed to provide context and feedback regarding quantitative findings. Results show a high total richness of 209 (mean 26.8 per homegarden) crop species (excluding weeds and ornamentals) dominated by food species, which constituted 96 percent of individuals and 44 percent of all species. Forest-edge homegardens maintained higher plant diversity compared to homegardens in deforested areas and near degraded wetlands. Multiple linear regression models indicated elevation, location, homegarden size, distance to market, additional land ownership (outside the homegarden) and livestock ownership as significant predictors of crop diversity. Cluster analysis of species densities revealed four garden types: ‘diverse tree gardens’, ‘small forest-edge gardens’, ‘large, old, species-rich gardens’, and ‘large, annual-dominated herb gardens’, with 98% correct classification. Location, elevation, and garden size were also important determinants in the cluster assignment. We conclude that the diversity of the studied homegardens may be changing as part of adaptive traditional practices and in response to external drivers. The identified patterns illustrate the importance of homegardens for rural livelihoods and may offer some ways to support farmers to maintain these systems as relevant mechanisms for development in Uganda.
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    Locally Preferred Woody Species and Their Management in Kiruhura and Arua Districts, Uganda
    (Ethnobotany Research and Applications, 2015) Nyamukuru, Antonia; Nabatanzi, Alice; Mpiira, Sam; Tabuti, John R.S.
    Trees and shrubs are disappearing fast in anthropogenic landscapes of Uganda. In order to promote their conservation on-farm, there is need to involve farmers. Farmers’ involvement in tree/shrub management requires a clear understanding of the households’ needs that trees can satisfy, the priority species to satisfy these needs, as well as tree management practices and challenges that hinder tree planting. This study was carried out to satisfy these information needs and to also determine species that are locally threatened. The study was conducted in selected villages of Arua and Kiruhura districts between June and October 2012 using an ethnobotanical approach. Our results indicate that farmers value tree products to satisfy household welfare needs of accessing food (edible fruits), generating income, and accessing construction wood. The species are multi-purpose, and the most preferred are Eucalyptus spp., Mangifera indica L., Persea americana Mill., Carica papaya L., Citrus limon (L.) Osbeck, Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam., Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck, Annona senegalensis Pers., Pinus spp., and Tectona grandis L.f. Most farmers maintain trees on their land in courtyards, backyard gardens, or crop fields and ranches. Tree species are threatened by destructive harvesting and clearing land for agriculture. The key challenges to intensification of tree cultivation are livestock damage, land shortage, drought, and lack of financial resources. Farmers suggested that in order to strengthen tree planting, they should be provided with inputs including seedlings, chemicals, and tools. In conclusion farmers prefer exotic tree species to satisfy household needs. Intensification of tree management will need to address a number of challenges identified in this study.
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    Plant Medicines Used in the Treatment of Malaria
    (Novel Plant Bioresources: Applications in Food, Medicine and Cosmetics, 2014) Tabuti, John R.S.; Nyamukuru, Antonia; Lamorde, Mohammed
    Globally, malaria ranks among the top three communicable killer diseases. Each year,malaria causes 781 000 deaths and illnesses in an estimated 225 million people worldwide (WHO, 2010).Most deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa (WHO, 2008), with young children and pregnant women at greatest risk for severe forms of malaria and death (WHO, 2008). Uganda has one of the highest burdens of malaria globally, with an estimated 70 000–110 000 children dying of malaria each year (Lynch et al., 2005). At the household and at the national level, malaria exerts significant social and economic costs (Sachs and Malaney, 2002). These costs include direct medical costs to treat the disease and also lost income resulting from inability to work or time taken off work to care for relatives with malaria. Malaria in children impacts negatively on school attendance and decreases savings at the household level. At the national level, governments incur the costs of prevention and treatment ofmalaria. Furthermore, the economic impact of malaria endemicity includes lower trade, tourism and foreign direct investment (Sachs and Malaney, 2002).
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    Propagation and seedling establishment of selected multipurpose woody species of Uganda
    (International Journal of Biodiversity Science, Ecosystem Services & Management, 2014) Nyamukuru, Antonia; Tabuti, John R. S.; Aduma, Philip R.
    Cultivation of important woody species with the goal of conserving them is hampered by little, or no, information on how such species can be propagated or their seedlings established. We investigated propagation and seedling establishment of 14 important multipurpose species much valued for traditional medicine in Uganda. The experiments included sexual and vegetative propagation, as well as a seedling growth experiment. The multipurpose species Psidium guajava, Markamia lutea, Maesopsis eminii and Spathodea campanulata propagated easily from seed, and Ficus natalensis from cuttings. The medicinal species Zanthoxylum leprieurii, Warburgia ugandensis and Ficus saussureana did not germinate at all. Toddalia asiatica and Canarium schweinfurthii had high dormancy and low synchrony of seed emergence. Markamia lutea seedlings established readily with addition of fertilizer (NPK) and moderate watering (three times a week). We conclude that whereas the multipurpose use species appear to propagate easily, the medicinal plants are difficult to propagate sexually or asexually.
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    Unfenced Borders Cause Differences in Vegetation and Fauna Between Protected and Unprotected Areas in a Tropical Savanna
    (Tropical Conservation Science, 2019) Nyamukuru, Antonia; Grytnes, John-Arvid; Tabuti, John R. S.; Totland, Ørjan
    Protected areas generally occur within a matrix of intensively human-modified landscapes. As a way to maintain the biodiversity in these areas, enclosure by fencing is often preferred. This strategy, however, is costly and little is known about the effectiveness of the alternative of unfenced borders on the vegetation and fauna. The objectives of this study are to assess whether there is a distinct difference in biodiversity and composition of plants and mammals between the protected Lake Mburo National Park and the adjacent ranchlands across an unfenced border and to determine the associations between vegetation and faunal species over the same border. We recorded herbaceous vegetation, woody vegetation, and mammal species composition in plots 300 to 500m away from the border both inside the protected area and in the adjacent ranchlands. The species composition of herbs and mammals in the protected area differ from the adjacent ranchlands, but there is no difference for trees and shrubs. After accounting for land-use type, distance from the border did not significantly account for any additional variation. We also find a correlation between the species composition of vegetation and fauna. Our results suggest that unfenced borders around protected areas create a clear effect.
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    Variation in Woody Species Abundance and Distribution in and around Kibale National Park, Uganda
    (International Scholarly Research Notices, 2012) Okiror, Paul; Chono, Jane; Nyamukuru, Antonia; Lwanga, Jeremiah S.; Sasira, Phionah; Diogo, Paul
    Several protected areas in Uganda are increasingly facing encroachment making farmlands indispensable hubs for biodiversity conservation. A comparative study was conducted comprising a protected area in Kibale National Park and surrounding farmlands to establish how farmlands mimic the forest floristic structure. Study results show very low similarity between the forest and farmland ecosystems (CCj = 0.11). A total of 50 and 29 species were identified in the forest and, farmland, respectively; 8 were shared. Importance value indices of woody species in the forest ranged from 0.3 to 29.9 with Celtis durandii being the most important while those in the farmland were 1.9–79.2, Eucalyptus grandis, having the highest index. Woody species diversity and evenness were higher in the forest ecosystem (H = 3.46, J = 0.85) compared to the farmland (H = 2.72, J = 0.79). The 10– <20 cm diameter class was the lowest in both ecosystems. Communities adjacent to the park should be educated about the value of the park and conservation in general. Since adjacent farmlands provide important ecotones to the park, on-farm indigenous tree retention and planting are required. Further research on threatened species is needed to enhance conservation in and around KNP.