Utilization and on- farm conservation strategies of Canarium schweinfurthii in Buikwe district.
Abstract
Canarium schweinfurthii (Engl.) is one of the indigenous fruit tree species belonging to the
Burseraceae family. It is part of wild and semi-wild foods that form a significant portion of the
global food basket. In Uganda, it grows mainly in Central and Eastern parts of the country.This
study aimed at enlisting local knowledge on the uses and on-farm conservation strategies of C.
schweinfurthii in Buikwe district. The specific objectives were: i) to describe ethno-uses,
management practices and conservation strategies of C. schweinfurthii, ii) to asses challenges
associated with its utilization and on-farm conservation, iii) to describe the threats and
opportunities for enhancing its conservation and iv) to examine the socioeconomic and
demographic factors influencing participation in its on-farm conservation. A descriptive research
design was utilized. Sixty (60) households spread over six villages were selected for the survey
using multi-stage sampling technique. Data were collected through household interviews, key
informant interviews, observation and guided field walks. Collected data was checked, cleaned,
coded and entered into SPSS for analysis and presented as tables and graphs. The results showed
that C. schweinfurthii has over 10 uses ranging from food, medicine, firewood, timber, spiritual
values, income, shade, manure, boundary marking to lighting. Canarium schweinfurthii trees are
being managed through protecting the trees on farms, regulating use and harvest of products,
weeding and pruning. The reported conservation strategies included protecting naturally
regenerated wildlings, planting and regulating use and harvest. Challenges such as long maturity
period, being easily susceptible to diseases, competition with other crops, and the ability to
attract trespassers into the gardens. Insecure land tenure system, small size of land/farm size,
available crops on land that cannot grow together with C. schweinfurthii, the length of time the
tree takes to grow, no knowledge of how to grow C. schweinfurthii and lack of planting material
constrained farmers from participating in on-farm conservation of C. schweinfurthii. Major
threats to conservation of C. schweinfurthii included poverty, insecure land tenure system, weak
or no laws, expanding charcoal and brick business, increasing demand for timber, ignorance, bad
harvesting methods and the sugarcane farming. Opportunities for on-farm conservation of C.
schweinfurthii that exist in the area include people’s willingness to conserve C. schweinfurthii
trees on their land, existence of organizations in the area, knowledge of how to plant C.
schweinfurthii trees and ready market for products. Thus, to maximize the potential of C.
schweinfurthii, local community efforts should be geared towards promoting the diverse uses of
various parts for both food and income generation. There is also need to raise awareness about
sustainable harvesting techniques of both fruits and resins. Efforts should be made to establish
nurseries for shortening the maturity period.