1.1 People's needs and the role of indigenous trees
1.2 Purpose of handbook
Over the past few years increasing emphasis has been placed on promoting fast growing species that serve a variety of uses such as fuelwood, timber, and fodder in order to relieve pressure on existing forests. The concept of multipurpose trees is familiar to those working in rural development, forestry, agriculture, or environmental management. It is a term that professionals, governments, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and donors have used extensively, so much so that it is often synonymous with village level afforestation. The International Council for Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF) in Nairobi has identified well over 2000 multipurpose species; species which are purposely raised, preserved, or managed for more than one intended use, either for commercial purposes, household use, or for land protection/ improvement.
However, much of the emphasis on multipurpose trees has focused on species that are exotic to most of the countries where they have been promoted. In some cases this has occurred because (1) only certain exotics will grow in the harsh conditions encountered, (2) more silvicultural and propagation information exists for those species known as fast growing, and (3) in the past professionals and villagers alike tended to believe that multipurpose exotics would be better able to produce essential benefits more quickly and cost effectively.
The obvious question that comes to mind is what are the benefits that people need and prefer to obtain from the trees that they plant? An initial needs assessment of 15 villages in Ruvuma region of Tanzania revealed that no 1 product assumed priority within a family and consequently not within a village, and that indigenous trees were highly regarded because they provided multiple products. These were often products that the family regularly used but would not have had the cash required to purchase. Since farmers were planting indigenous species on their own initiative, their claims about the importance of local species to these villages were well supported.
These findings prompted the following question and consequently a more in-depth study on local people's needs and preferences for tree products:
Are indigenous trees well-suited to meet family needs and to provide them with forest products, thereby providing both economic and environmental benefits on a long term basis?
Findings from the more in-depth study showed that in Tanzania, local people often prefer indigenous species for a variety of uses such as charcoal, furniture, housing material, and medicine to mention just a few. As one speaks with farmers in Dodoma, Iringa or other regions, it becomes apparent that indigenous species are valued. Some farmers are quite insistent that they prefer local trees and the proof comes when they tell you that they are mostly planting indigenous trees. Generally, the Forest Department has not promoted the growing of these indigenous species, and so farmers, in some cases their forefathers, have developed their own propagation and management techniques.
Once indigenous trees are regarded in a broader context (as more than sources of timber, pulp, and foreign exchange), the emergence of their importance in people's day-to-day lives becomes striking. Many indigenous trees do meet local requirements better than exotic species. Traditionally, forests have formed an integral part of the household economy, providing an array of valuable products that, in many cases, the family would otherwise be forced to do without. In certain instances alternative supplies either are not locally available or are not affordable.
It is not rare for a local species to provide fuel, food, medicine, household tools, building materials, and to have social or cultural importance. An example of such a tree in Tanzania is Dichrostachys cinerea, locally known as mkulajembe in Swahili, or sickle bush. This species is highly valued, particularly in Dodoma region, as a source of material for construction, firewood, charcoal, poles, fodder, domestic items, gum, medicine, and fences. It is also nitrogen fixing, and its sharp woody thorns are used as needles.
People will continue to use indigenous species as long as they are available because these species:
· tend to be of higher quality;
· are known and respected by the users;
· are generally a common property resource;
· can be obtained without maintenance or cash payment;
· provide products that cannot be duplicated with fast growing species.
For some species the information supporting these reasons is well-known by local people and foresters alike. However, for the majority of indigenous species in Tanzania much of the information regarding these trees is held within local communities or sometimes only by certain individuals within these communities. Often a village has a special knowledge about a particular tree which is not known by the village down the road, and vice versa. This local knowledge does not become clear to others quickly or easily in many cases, and the process is further complicated by the use of local names in Tanzania. With about 120 languages, communications between foresters and local people is often a problem.
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The identification of economically important species is the first step in helping to determine which indigenous species can be managed or cultivated and which other species may be substituted to produce the same end products. |
Since many of these species provide tree products that are the cornerstone of a family's survival strategy, identifying alternative harvesting/managing and species selection options is an extremely important step towards slowing the deforestation of forests and woodlands, as well as helping to assure supplies of forest products vital to local people.
The handbook is intended to be a concise reference on indigenous species which produce local forest products of economic importance in Tanzania. Local forest products, the term used throughout the handbook, refers to both wood and non-wood products derived from indigenous trees which have been identified as economically important by rural people. The term 'minor forest products' has not been used since within the context of the family economy the value of many of these products is not minor. Nor are the terms non-wood or non-timber forest products used, as discussions with farmers revealed that wood from indigenous trees is a product in high demand, whether for tools, domestic utensils, door frames, or timber. The handbook looks at all products that have been identified by local people, both tangible and intangible, for home use and for sale.
The handbook also includes information on propagation, management, and silviculture for selected species and detailed lists of species names in local languages. The lists are presented so that the user can identify a species if the Latin, local, or common name is known. The survey questionnaires used for more in-depth interviews are included either for reference or for use by the handbook reader.
Specifically, the handbook attempts to:
· provide a framework for assessing local tree product requirements which can be used by local groups and NGOs;· highlight the importance of alternative and sustainable indigenous species to meet family tree product requirements in order to ease existing pressure on forests;
· provide a reference for identifying indigenous species in various local languages.
It is hoped that this handbook will be of use to local groups, NGOs, and foresters working directly with people in the field.
