Indigenous Food Trees in East Africa Gain Attention for Malnutrition and Biodiversity

In Malawi, native fruits like the masuku plum are in high demand but scarce due to deforestation. Workshops have identified challenges to integrating Indigenous food trees into East African landscapes, where tree-planting initiatives often focus on non-native timber species. Agroecologist Richard Swirah notes that native fruits sell well in local markets but are hard to find. Organized by University of Copenhagen postdoctoral fellow Emilie Vansant, the workshops aimed to share knowledge and questions about using Indigenous food trees in landscape restoration. A paper published in June summarizes the findings. The work seeks to broaden the scope of tree-planting initiatives to include Indigenous tree species, which could help address malnutrition and biodiversity loss. An agroforestry tour during a workshop at the Permaculture Paradise Institute in Lilongwe, Malawi, highlighted the potential of these trees. Local communities are eager to see the integration of Indigenous food trees into their landscapes.