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Aims: Cancer is the second leading cause of death globally. Therefore, the knowledge on medicinal plants used to cure human cancer could be of great importance for their widespread use and scientific validation. The present study records information on anticancer plants in Boyo Division, in the western highland of Cameroon. Methods: Thirty traditional healers, were interviewed to document their know-how on the type of human cancer allegedly cured, the plant species used as well as their use pattern. Guided field walks were made to the collection sites for plant and its habitat characterization as well as herbarium voucher collection. Ethnobotanical quantitative tools were used to analyze and summarize collected data. Sustainability of harvest was assessed using a vulnerability index based on seven parameters. Results: A total of 25 medicinal plants cited were identified as belonging to 13 families and 23 genera. The most represented families were Asteraceae (28%), Lamiaceae (16%), Fabaceae (12%) and Acanthaceae (8%). Out of the seven categories of cancer diseases reported, the highest number of plants species were reported to treat stomach, pancreas, liver, skin and breast cancers, with informant consensus factor (ICF) ranging from 0.79 to 0.82. Leaves (60%) and bark (20%) were the major plant parts used mostly in form of decoction (45.45%) and concoction (38.18%). The result of Relative frequency citations (RFCs) revealed that 9 of the 25 plants species cited were the most frequently used with fidelity levels ranging from 92% (Geniosporum rotundifolium and Ocimum tenuiflorum Aframomum melegueta and Entada abyssinica) to 100% (Coleus blumei, Ocimum gratissimum, Eremomastax speciosa, and Dichrocephala integrifolia). Six species were assessed as vulnerable (Vi ≥ 2), while two species were rated as highly vulnerable namely G. rotundifolium (Vi = 2.71) and E. abyssinica (Vi = 2.85). Conclusion: New traditionally effective anticancer plants were identified in the present study, some of which were already vulnerable for exploitation in their actual habitat. Plants with high ICF, RFCs and FL values should be subjected to further phytochemical and pharmacological investigations for scientific validation while those with high Vulnerability index should be recommended for participatory domestication by the main users.

Vitellaria paradoxa (C.F.Gaertn.) is a multi-purpose tree species distributed in a narrow band across sub-Saharan Africa. The species is integrated into cropping and agroforestry systems as a nutritional and economic resource, which provides a range of environmental services. Integration of the species into land-use systems provides an essential source of livelihoods and income for local populations. The economic potential of the shea butter tree derives from its edible products, which also serve cosmetic and pharmaceutical applications. To understand the current state of knowledge about V. paradoxa, this paper summarizes information about the ecology, population structure, and genetic diversity of the species, also considering compositional variation in the pulp and kernels, management practices, and efforts towards its domestication. Despite the great potential of the shea butter tree, there are some gaps in the understanding of the genetics of the species. This review presents up-to-date information related to the species for further domestication and breeding purposes.

Garcinia kola Heckel (Clusiaceae), known as bitter kola, is a multipurpose tree indigenous to West and Central Africa. This highly preferred species is called “wonder plant„ because all of its parts can be used as medicine. Its seeds, the most valued product of the tree, are commonly eaten to prevent/cure gastric disorders and for their typical astringent taste. There is a vast evidence that bioactive components of the seeds can serve as alternative medicine to treat/prevent severe illnesses such as malaria, hepatitis and immune-destructive diseases. Despite the species’ pharmaceutical potential and its high preference by West and Central African communities, G. kola is still at the beginning of its domestication process. Even though, there are numerous scientific articles published on species‘ biological activities, it is a difficult task to find basic information on its diversity, distribution, genetics, silvicultural management or botany. Therefore, in this very first review published on G. kola, we summarize all relevant information known about the species, target some of the challenges connected with its cultivation and propose a leading direction for future research and domestication process.

Cameroon introduced community forestry (CF) in 1994 as a means of improving community engagement in forest management, enhancing forest conservation, and reducing poverty for forest-dependent people. More than 20 years on, reflection on uptake, conceptual evolution, and innovation is necessary to understand how best community forests can contribute to Cameroon's post-2015 sustainable development goals. We investigate, review, and reflect on how community forestry has evolved from an innovation ecosystem perspective, with a view to enhancing innovations and performance. Interest and momentum in community forestry remains strong in Cameroon, with the number of community forests growing, reaching 430 and covering 1.7 million ha (7% of total forest area). Major innovations identified are the introduction of pre-emption rights and steps toward sustainable forest management (ban on industrial logging, development of certification standards, and the introduction of the environmental notice in lieu of a full environmental impact assessment for CF activities). Little or no innovation is registered in areas related to forest enterprise (i.e., products and services value chains) and in terms of practicing sustainable forest management. Evidence suggests that knowledge generated directly feeds innovation. Coincidentally, areas for which little progress was made (enterprise and sustainable practices) also recorded few publications, suggesting that partnerships aimed at improving knowledge generation and sharing could help catalyze innovation. Other options for unlocking innovations within community forestry discussed include: enhancing intercommunity forest and private sector community forests partnerships and collaboration, increased capacity development and capital investments, and deploying incentives (financial and nonfinancial). Together these options can potentially transform community forestry in Cameroon.

Garcinia lucida Vesque (Clusiaceae) is a tree species that is highly valued for its medicinal properties by rural households in the humid forest zone of Cameroon. However, the unsustainable exploitation of the species threatens its long-term regeneration. This study focuses on its vegetative propagation via stem cuttings in non-mist propagators and through grafting. The study tests the effects of three rooting media (sand, sawdust, sand + sawdust (1/1); three leaf sizes (0,25 and 50 cm2); and three types of hormone [indole butyric acid (IBA), indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and naphthalene acetic acid (NAA)], applied as a single dose. Furthermore, three grafting techniques (cleft, side tongue and whip-and-tongue grafting) were tested. All experiments were designed as completely randomized blocks with three replicates. Results showed that cuttings require a medium that has low water holding capacity and high porosity, and a leaf area of 50 cm2 and NAA treatment; grafting success was affected by the technique used, with top cleft grafting yielding a 100% success rate. From this preliminary study, it is concluded that G. lucida is amenable to vegetative propagation by cuttings and grafting. Key words: tree domestication, leaf area, non-mist propagator, rooting hormone, rooting medium, under-utilised species

Garcinia lucida Vesque (Clusiaceae) is a tree species that is highly valued for its medicinal properties by rural households in the humid forest zone of Cameroon. However, the unsustainable exploitation of the species threatens its long-term regeneration. This study focuses on its vegetative propagation via stem cuttings in non-mist propagators and through grafting. The study tests the effects of three rooting media (sand, sawdust, sand + sawdust (1/1); three leaf sizes (0,25 and 50 cm2); and three types of hormone [indole butyric acid (IBA), indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and naphthalene acetic acid (NAA)], applied as a single dose. Furthermore, three grafting techniques (cleft, side tongue and whip-and-tongue grafting) were tested. All experiments were designed as completely randomized blocks with three replicates. Results showed that cuttings require a medium that has low water holding capacity and high porosity, and a leaf area of 50 cm2 and NAA treatment; grafting success was affected by the technique used, with top cleft grafting yielding a 100% success rate. From this preliminary study, it is concluded that G. lucida is amenable to vegetative propagation by cuttings and grafting.

Gnetum africanum Welw. (Gnetaceae) is a forest vine that is highly valued for its leaves which are a source of food and income. Because wild populations are threatened by over-harvesting, there is an increasing need to cultivate the plant, which in turn entails a need for developing good quality planting material. This study investigates the effects of four provenances, four substrates and their interactions on rooting and shoot development of vine cuttings of G. africanum using the non-mist propagation system developed by ICRAF. Single-node, half-leafed vine cuttings were used and data on rooting and leaf production were collected monthly from the second to the fifth months. Rooting percentages were subjected to analysis of variance using logistic regression procedures in Genstat version 12. Provenance (P

To address the decline in crop productivity in the drylands of West Africa, many initiatives have focused on combating soil degradation. Various practices including (1) parkland trees associated with crops, (2) coppicing trees, (3) green manure, (4) mulching, (5) crop rotation and intercropping, and (6) traditional soil/water conservation have been tested. The present study attempts to provide a comprehensive, quantitative synthesis of existing reports on the effect of conservation agriculture (CA) practices on crop yield response in Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and Senegal. Out of a total of 155 reports found, 63 fulfilled all the appropriate criteria to be included in the meta-analysis of the effect of various conservation agriculture practices on the yield response of maize, millet and sorghum. The study revealed significant variability in cereal yield response (and hence risk) with all the practices examined. Despite the variability, the mean effects of the six CA practices on crop yield were more positive than negative except with parkland trees. However, for this last practice, species like Faidherbia albida exerts more positive impact on crop yield. Yield increases relative to the control were higher with green manure and mulching than with coppicing trees and parklands. Increases in yield in the six CA practices were higher on low to medium productivity sites for maize, millet and sorghum. Coppicing trees and rotations improved yields when the rainfall is >800 mm whereas the opposite happens with parkland and soil–water conservation measures. Mulching performed better when the rainfall is

†SUMMARY The cultivation of indigenous and exotic fruits for sub-Saharan Africa’s domestic markets can bring increased revenues for smallholders and improve the diets of local consumers. There are, however, many bottlenecks which need to be addressed so that wider benefits from such activities are realised. Here, we describe key interventions being taken to address current constraints. For indigenous fruit trees, it is necessary to set priorities for which species to promote and to engage in participatory domestication for the improvement of yield, quality and germplasm delivery to farmers. For exotic fruits, ‘south-south’ transfer of advanced cultivars and the development of small-scale commercial suppliers of planting material are required to reinvigorate production. For both indigenous and exotic species, a focus on improving market value chains to bring greater benefits to producers is needed. We describe where further work is required to increase efficiency in the sector and to favour smallholder involvement.

Agricultural intensification has been recognized as one of the solutions to increase food production to feed the ever-increasing population in sub-Saharan Africa. This can partly be achieved if quantitative and up-to-date information on soil health indicators are not available. This study used the land health surveillance framework, which combines ground-sampling schemes based on sentinel site and infrared spectroscopy to select a minimum dataset of soil health indicators to identify key land constraints for maize production and target potential interventions. We found high variability in soil properties in the study area which was mainly due to inherent soil conditions and land management practices. The most variable soil properties (CV > 0.38) were nitrogen (N), electric conductivity (ECd), exchangeable bases (ExBas), boron (B), calcium (Ca), potassium (K), magnesium (Mg), manganese (Mn) and phosphorus (P). Moderate variability (0.2 < CV < 0.38) was observed for carbon (C), silt and sand, while properties with least variability (CV < 0.2) were pH and aluminium (Al). The effects of land-use and soil depth were significant (p < 0.05) for most of the soil properties. Principal component analysis (PCA) identified soil nutrient availability, metal concentration and texture as the three main factors that explain most of the variability observed. Significant interactions were observed between soil properties confirming the need for a minimum dataset of indicators. ExBas, B, pH, Mn, ECd, P and clay content formed the minimum dataset of soil health indicators for the study area. The results also showed that the soils of the study site are marginally suitable for the production of maize (Zea mays L.). Low limitations with respect to exchangeable bases (Ca, Mg, K and Na) and severe limitations with respect to B (63%) were detected. However, potential for improvement exists through integrated soil management practices that include the use of organic and inorganic fertilizers, minimum soil tillage, and inclusion of legumes in crop rotations that could improve soil physical and chemical properties. © 2015 Elsevier B.V.

This study obtained quantitative data on fruit and nut traits from two indigenous fruit trees in West Africa (Irvingia gabonensis and Dacryodes edulis), which have led to the identification of trees meeting ideotypes based on multiple morphological, quality and food property traits desirable in putative cultivars. The same data also indicates changes in population structure that provide pointers to the level of domestication already achieved by subsistence farmers. D. edulis represents 21-57% of all fruit trees in farmers' fields and plays an important part in the economy of rural communities. An investigation of the socio-economic and biophysical constraints to indigenous tree cultivation found that indigenous fruits could play an even greater role in the rural economy of West and Central Africa. The opportunity to build on this through further domestication of these species is considerable, especially as retailers recognise customer preferences for certain D. edulis fruit traits, although at present the wholesale market does not. This project was linked to a larger participatory tree domestication programme within ICRAF's2 wider agroforestry programme with traditionally valuable indigenous trees. Together these projects provided insights into the value of domesticating indigenous fruit trees, which are of strategic importance to poverty alleviation and sustainable development worldwide.

Dacryodes edulis (G. Don) H. J. Lam. (Burseraceae) is a high-value fruit tree in West and Central Africa. Air layering of this species is now under control, but uncertainty remains as to the effect of a number of factors on rooting; these include cloning the type of propagule, the orientation of branches and the position of the marcots in the crown. A series of experiments were conducted to evaluate the effect of cloning, the type of propagule (cuttings and marcots), position in the crown (lower and upper) and the orientation of branches (plagiotropic, oblic and orthotropic) on the tree ́s rooting ability. For the frst three factors, older clones of 10 years with a normal maturation were bedded in equal proportions of decomposed sawdust and arable soil. To test the orientation factor late maturing trees of over 20 years bedded in, decomposed sawdust were used. Ten months after the setting up of marcots, the results showed that the clonal effect significantly (p

Products and services provided by trees in forests and farmland support the needs and promote the wellbeing of hundreds of millions of people in the tropics. Value depends on managing both the diversity of tree species present in landscapes and the genetic variation within these species. The benefits from trees and their genetic resources are, however, often not well quantified because trade is frequently outside formal markets, there is a multiplicity of species and ways in which trees are used and managed, and genetic diversity within species is frequently not given proper consideration. We review here what is known about the value of trees to rural communities through considering three production categories: non-timber products harvested from trees in natural and managed forests and woodlands; the various products and services obtained from a wide range of trees planted and/or retained in smallholders' agroforestry systems; and the commercial products harvested from cultivated tree commodity crops. Where possible, we focus on the role of intra-specific genetic variation in providing support to livelihoods, and for each of the three production categories we also consider wider conservation and sustainability issues, including the linkages between categories in terms of management. Challenges to 'conventional wisdom' on tree resource use, value and management -such as in the posited links between commercialisation, cultivation and conservation -are highlighted, and constraints and opportunities to maintain and enhance value are described. © 2014 The Authors.

Farmer Participatory Research (FPR) is a new approach, which the World Agro forestry Centre (ICRAF), International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), NGOs and farmers are using to effectively design and implement community-based conservation project in Nigeria prior to ex-situ conservation. Socioeconomic and market surveys were conducted and base-line data collected in seven communities. Results from seven pilot sites in Southern Nigeria indicate that community farmers readily adopted tree domestication, increasingly acquired skills, easily established community nurseries, enthusiastically identified and conserved economic fruit trees, including Irvingia gabonensis, Irvingia wombolu, Dacryodes edulis, Chrysophyllum albidum, Garcinia kola, in the rural communities. The participatory approach, which involves rural farmers direct involvement in decision making and in the development of suitable practices, is not only effective in reducing genetic loss, but also increases availability and yields of indigenous fruit trees (non-timber forest products). Journal of Agriculture and Social Research Vol. 4 (2) 2004: 33-42