It has long been accepted that trees grown on farms bring a myriad of benefits, including better soil health, microclimate regulation, carbon sequestration and improved biodiversity.
However, recent work conducted by a research team based in Denmark has uncovered how tree-based farming might help improve the diets of people living in rural communities as well.
There are around 7,000 different types of plants that are safe for humans to eat, yet the calorie-high and nutrient-low staples maize, rice and wheat account for 50 per cent of the world’s plant-based food intake. This is one of the major factors that contributes to malnutrition remaining a leading cause of poor health globally.
While the positive association between the environment and tree-based farming systems is well documented, tree-based farming systems and their impact on diet in rural populations is less understood.
For that reason, scientists at the University of Copenhagen and the Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry decided to look at a number of existing studies around trees on farms, with the objective of developing an improved understanding of the role this practice can play in supporting nutritious diets.
They identified 36 research papers focused on diet quality in low– and middle-income countries among populations practicing tree-based farming. The papers considered tree-based farming’s ability to:
· provide edible products such as fruits, nuts, and leaves
· provide marketable products, where growers could use the money to buy food
· improve agricultural production of other crops through ecosystem services such as increased pollination and microclimate regulation, where growers could either consume or sell the product of the additional harvest.
In looking at the various studies, the team found strong positive associations between tree-based farming systems, household income and improved diet.
More specifically, they observed that trees on farms can offer households additional options to diversify their diets with foods from the farm and market. In addition, benefits for biodiversity were found to increase the availability of micronutrient-rich food found in the wild, while the cultivation of multiple tree species can help ensure households enjoy year-round surety of access to nutritious food, even where climatic or economic conditions vary.
While these clear positive associations were found among the body of evidence available, the team also became aware of the complexity involved with drawing links between tree-based farming systems and quality of diet.
For instance, the types of species and arrangement of trees within different systems could play an important role in optimising the consequent benefits for diet. Meanwhile, external factors including government policy, bioclimatic, geographical and socioeconomic aspects, market access and education could also have a significant impact.
The team concluded that further studies of tree-based farming system configurations and classifications, with a distinct consideration of food and an awareness of external impacts, are needed to properly define how tree-based farming systems might best be used to support the diets of rural populations.
Source: Forests News
