Setting priorities among indigenous fruit tree species in Africa: examples from Southern, Eastern, and Western Africa regions

Abstract

Priority setting in agricultural research has received considerable attention in recent years, the objective being to determine the species for which domestication research (i.e. research regarding the selection, management and propagation of a plant) would be likely to have the highest impact. This paper presents examples of priority setting among indigenous fruit species for domestication research in three regions of Africa: the humid lowlands of West Africa; the semi-arid Sahelian zone of west Africa; and the Miombo woodlands of southern Africa. An example is also given from southern Africa of setting priorities amongst indigenous fruit products. The first chapter of a book entitled “Indigenous fruit trees in the tropics: Domestication, utilization and commercialization”, The first chapter of a book entitled “Indigenous fruit trees in the tropics: Domestication, utillization and commercialization”, which explores what role 'underutilised' indigenous fruit trees can play in meeting the rural development goals of the new millennium. The authors conclude that several lessons were learnt from these priority setting exercises, which can be divided into two areas: the role of priority setting in domestication research and methods for setting prioriti