Australian Acacias for Food Security in Semi- Arid Africa: a Multidisciplinary Assessment
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Australian Acacias for food security in semi- arid Africa: A multidisciplinary assessment A dissertation presented By Peter Allan Yates To The Research Institute for Environment and Livelihoods in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Tropical Environmental Management Charles Darwin University Casuarina, Australia February 2014 I hereby declare that the work herein, now submitted as a thesis for the degree of Doctor of Tropical Environmental Management of the Charles Darwin University, is the result of my own investigations, and all references to ideas and work of other researchers have been specifically acknowledged. I herby certify that the work embodied in this thesis has not already been accepted in substance for any degree, and is not being currently submitted in candidature for any other degree. Signed:___________________. Date:__________________. i ii Abstract Many countries in semi-arid regions of Africa face serious challenges to food security due to a combination of population growth, resource degradation and climate change. In Niger, traditional agricultural systems, based primarily on pearl millet, are failing to produce to expectation as often as two years in three, with near total crop failures that lead to famine occurring approximately every five years. Some Australian Acacias ( A. colei, A. torulosa, A. tumida ) are well adapted to the harsh and variable climate of southern Niger, and have been shown to support rural livelihoods through the production of edible seed, wood and environmental services. The nutritional value of many species of acacia seed is well documented, with the main lacunae concerning the potentially anti-nutritional and toxic effects of non-protein amino acids. This thesis shows that acacia seed has strong potential for use as a human food so long as the seed is appropriately processed. Acacia seed can fit into local diets in Niger from a cultural and nutritional viewpoint. The seed of the Australian acacias is high in protein and is an excellent nutritional complement to millet. The author was able to incorporate acacia seed into a local staple recipe to produce a nutritious food that is well accepted by Hausa people. The potential of a complementary food based on acacia seed is assessed in this thesis. The proposition is feasible in terms of acacia production systems, cost, nutritional content and cultural acceptability. Acacia seed is likely to be suitabe for use as an ingredient in a locally produced food aid product aimed primarily at reducing child malnutrition. Further work will be required to determine the significance of djenkolic acid which is found in acacia seed. The research shows that djenkolic acid content can be reduced by more than 90% through appropriate processing. iii iv Table of contents Abstract .................................................................................................................................................. iii Table of contents .................................................................................................................................... v Table of Figures ...................................................................................................................................... vi List of Tables ........................................................................................................................................... vi Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................................... vii List of Abbreviations ............................................................................................................................... ix 1. Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 1 2. Food Security ............................................................................................................................... 13 3. Malnutrition ................................................................................................................................ 37 4. Niger – An Environmental and Social Overview .......................................................................... 49 5. Australian Acacias in the Agricultural System ............................................................................. 59 6. Research Methods ....................................................................................................................... 77 7. A Hausa Initiative ......................................................................................................................... 91 8. The Potential for Weediness ....................................................................................................... 99 9. Acacia Seed as Food .................................................................................................................. 111 10. Acacia Seed – Food Safety..................................................................................................... 121 11. Potential modes of production for an Acacia kunu ............................................................... 139 12. The Kunu recipe .................................................................................................................... 153 13. Implementation: Issues and the potential for scale-up, scale-out....................................... 169 14. Conclusion ............................................................................................................................. 189 15. References ............................................................................................................................ 195 Appendix 1: The Weed Risk Assessment System (Australia 2013) applied to Acacia colei in Niger and A. saligna in Tigray, Ethiopia .............................................................................................................. 217 v Table of Figures Figure 2-1 The Sustainable Livelihoods Framework.. ........................................................................... 19 Figure 6-1. Location of the Study Site ................................................................................................. 81 Figure 6-2. Location of Study Villages ................................................................................................. 84 Figure 13-1. Acacia intervention strategies: Pathways to impact ...................................................... 176 Figure 13-2. Estimated household acacia seed needs and land required for production .................. 182 List of Tables Table 5-1 Average annual economic benefits from a 1 ha FMAFS at Maza Tsaye (2007-2009) .......... 69 Table 5-2. Average annual economic benefits from a 1/2 ha FMAFS vs. control farm at Magajin Kware (2007-2009). .............................................................................................................................. 69 Table 6-1. Villages where community meetings were conducted ...................................................... 83 Table 9-1. Proximate analysis of seed of four acacia species (raw, whole seed) ............................... 119 Table 9-2. Amino acid analysis of seed of three acacia species (raw, whole seed) ........................... 119 Table 9-3 Micronutrients present in Acacia colei seed (raw, whole seed) ........................................ 120 Table 10-1. Cyanide content of seed of selected acacia species. Surface and Chemical Analysis Network, University of Melbourne, commissioned by the author. ................................................... 127 Table 10-2. Summary of acacia seed studies prior to 2008. .............................................................. 133 Table 10-3. Acacia nutrition and toxicology research since 2009: excluding work commissioned by the author as part of this study. ............................................................................................................... 134 Table 10-4. Research commissioned by the author as part of this study .......................................... 135 Table 10-5. Anti-nutritrients and toxins in seed of selected acacia species ...................................... 136 Table 11-1. Ingredient preference chart for improved child feeding at the village level. ................. 142 Table 11-2. Production cost estimate per tonne acacia kunu (dry weight) in Niger .......................... 152 Table 12-1. Nutritional content of potential ingredients for a complementary food ....................... 161 Table 12-2. Three acacia kunu recipes .............................................................................................. 162 Table 12-3 Nutritional analysis of first iteration kunu mix.. ............................................................... 164 Table 12-4. Comparison of selected nutrients in initial Acacia/Moringa kunu against international standards and millet kunu . ................................................................................................................. 165 Table 13-1. Institutional Levels Relevant to the Research ................................................................. 173 Table 13-2. Key Actions in Implementation of Acacia Interventions ................................................ 174 Table 13-3. Risks in Implementation of Acacia Interventions ............................................................ 177 vi Acknowledgements