Diversity of indigenous fruit trees and their role in rural livelihoods in marginal areas of Zimbabwe: case of Chirumanzu, Chivi and Mberengwa districts

Ethno-botanical surveys were conducted in Chirumhanzu, Chivi and Mberengwa districts, in April and November 2021, to gather information on the diversity and the role played by IFTs in the socio-economy of inhabitants of these districts. A structured and semi-structured questionnaire were used to gather data from 172 participants identified from 57 villages. The frequency index of each IFT species was calculated and responses from the participants were analyzed. Thirty-seven (37) IFT species from 21 different Genera were identified. Strychnos spinosa, Azanza garckeana and Sclerocarya birrea were the most mentioned indigenous fruit tree species. Approximately 97% of the respondents viewed indigenous fruits as important sources of food and nutrition. Eighty-nine percent considered IFTs as a source of medicine. 95.3% agreed that IFTs had the potential to generate revenue through commerce. 64% of the respondents had received knowledge on domestication and conservation of IFT species mainly from extension officers. However, negative attitudes and lack of quality germplasm hindered their domestication and inclusion of IFTs into their cropping systems. The study showed that more efforts are needed in the propagation, awareness and policy intervention to improve the status of IFTs.

本研究于2021年4月及11月在奇鲁姆汉祖（Chirumhanzu）、奇维（Chivi）和姆贝伦瓜（Mberengwa）地区开展民族植物学调查，旨在收集本土果树（Indigenous Fruit Trees, IFTs）的多样性及其在上述地区居民社会经济中所发挥的作用的相关信息。研究采用结构化与半结构化问卷，从57个村庄招募的172名参与者处采集数据；随后计算每种IFT物种的频率指数，并对受访者的回复进行统计分析。本次调查共鉴定出隶属于21个不同属的37种IFT物种，其中刺马钱（Strychnos spinosa）、加克阿占扎木（Azanza garckeana）与马鲁拉树（Sclerocarya birrea）是被提及最多的本土果树物种。约97%的受访者认为本土果树果实是食品与营养的重要来源，89%的受访者将IFTs视为药物来源，95.3%的受访者认可IFTs具备通过商业活动创造收益的潜力。64%的受访者主要通过农业推广人员获取IFT物种驯化与保护的相关知识。然而，消极的认知态度与优质种质资源的匮乏，阻碍了IFTs的驯化及其在种植制度中的应用。本研究表明，需在种苗繁育、宣传推广及政策干预等方面加大工作力度，以改善本土果树的发展现状。