Improved management of fruit trees in West African parklands

Abstract

West African agroforestry systems are changing because agricultural intensification and a changing climate put the tree component at risk. Since local fruit trees play an important role in human nutrition and income generation, this is critical for rural livelihoods. This special issue presents a range of papers devoted to local fruit trees and their potential to improve local livelihoods. The topics cover studies of regeneration, use of mycorrhiza, tree/crop interactions, pollination, variation in fruit quality and genetic variation in adaptability. It is shown that there are many possibilities to improve benefits from trees. Some are likely to have immediate effect on livelihoods, such as cultivation of shade-tolerant crops under trees or improved management of pollinators. Others will require long term efforts, such as using natural variability of trees in breeding programmes to improve adaptation, quality and yield. In any case, to maintain the benefit from trees in the long run it will be necessary to identify appropriate strategies for regeneration of species that are currently in decline.