Multipurpose Trees on Farms Improve Nutrition in Malawi
The study found that using on-farm trees for food was positively associated with women's dietary quality in both seasons.
LILONGWE, Malawi—A new study suggests that planting multipurpose trees on farms, specifically those that provide food, is a viable way to address malnutrition in rural communities in Malawi, writes Winston Mwale.
The study, "Multipurpose Trees on Farms Can Improve Nutrition in Malawi," was conducted by researchers from the University of Copenhagen and published in One Earth.
The research team, led by Emilie Vansant, included Charlotte Hall, Bowy den Braber, Judith Kamoto, Matthias Geck, Florian Reiner, and Laura Vang Rasmussen.
The team focused on data from 460 women in rural Malawi, collected during both the dry and wet seasons. It examined the link between how on-farm trees are used (for food, income, and/or fuelwood) and women's micronutrient adequacy.
The study found that using on-farm trees for food was positively associated with women's dietary quality in both seasons.
This is likely due to the direct consumption of nutrient-rich foods from these trees. Women in households that used on-farm trees for food showed higher adequacy levels of zinc, vitamin A, and folate.
For example, in the dry season, using on-farm trees for food could increase women's folate adequacy by 15%–20%.
The study also noted that:
The use of on-farm trees solely for income and fuelwood wasn't generally associated with changes in micronutrient adequacy.
While there were no consistent additional benefits to dietary quality from fuel or income trees, the benefits of food trees to micronutrient adequacy were maintained in multipurpose on-farm tree systems.
Households with on-farm food trees consumed more food from their own cultivation (both from trees and annual crops) compared to households without food trees.
The researchers emphasise that policymakers should consider these findings and promote the cultivation of multipurpose trees on farms to improve nutrition and food security in rural communities.
They recommend "re-orienting policy incentives to support the production and consumption of nutritious, tree-based foods."
*Download the study document below:
