OPINION By Dr. Robin Buruchara

I, like millions of others in Africa, can’t imagine what it would be like to live without beans.
Venture onto any small farm in Uganda at meal time, and I can guarantee you that you will find beans on your plate.

Come to think of it, venture onto any smallholder farm, low income urban home or boarding school across Africa at meal time, and you are more likely than not to find beans or some kind of pulse on your plate.

And that’s despite the most severe drought that parts of the continent have seen in decades.  Rains have been late or not come at all; water scarcity has devastated harvests, and incomes have been crippled.  

Yet beans remain a staple in the African diet, for more reasons than one. They’re inexpensiveand easy to grow, with seeds sourced from neighbours or family members. They’re nutritious: high in protein, fibre, carbohydrates, folic acid, iron and zinc.

Our studies in Rwanda, for instance, show eating iron-fortified beans can actually reverse anemia and iron deficiency.  

They come in many shapes, sizes, colors and tastes. In many countries they a good source of income as they are easy to sell. And farmers know beans are a good bet to plant, because if most of their harvest fails and they can’t sell anything - at least they have some food at home.

That’s why the Pan-Africa Bean Research Alliance (PABRA), works with national bean programs to strengthen cropping systems across 30 countries in Africa.

But growing more beans is not a panacea for tackling malnutrition, improving soil fertility and improving incomes.  And, significant challenges block the road to improve production.

Despite the prominence of beans in the local diet and their versatility, the production and improvement of beans is not as high a priority in agricultural and nutritional policies as it ought to be. Their nutritional benefits are not incorporated into nutrition programs; their ability to combat climate change and make farmers’ fields more resilient are not spelled out in climate policy.

It’s unlikely that farmers throughout sub-Saharan Africa – where nitrogen is a commonly lacking crop nutrient – know that beans and other pulses can be used as an alternative or complementary source of nitrogen.They convert atmospheric nitrogen into nutrients the plant can use, by-passing problems associated with excessive fertilizer use - including water and air pollution, not to mention cost.  

They might not know which beans can be sold for a good income twice a year at the local market – especially important for women, who traditionally control earnings from the crop. They might not know which varieties can tackle anemia, or improve soil health.  

They probably don’t know that beans use less water and energy compared to most other protein sources, and that they are also relatively drought resilient compared with other crops.

This needs to change. These are vital factors for farmers in Africa, who must prepare for more drought, longer dry seasons and shorter spells of unpredictable rainfall. Until our agricultural systems become fully irrigated, our farmers need more resilient crops, and beans are an excellent case in point.  

In too many places, new bean varieties and agronomic packages don’t reach farmers or advisory services. To inform farm-scale decision making and agricultural policy, we need to spread the word about the full set of impacts that can be felt by integrating pulses into cropping systems.

It’s true: we do need more research into which beans fit within specific cropping systems.  

Agronomic management is a central pillar of pulse production that relies on developing options suited to local contexts. Yield and environmental benefits of pulse production vary widely across agro-ecological contexts.

But already we have evidence to show the yield increases farmers can expect in their fields; the extra income they put into their pockets, and the huge nutritional benefits they can gain from eating beans.

What remains to be seen is how the private sector and public sector can work together to make sure better beans get to more people. To make sure farmers growing them can make more money from them; or feed their families more nutritious diets with them.

We’re tackling these challenges head on. And raising awareness about how exactly beans contribute to our welfare this Global Pulse Day, is among the many routes we can take to beat them.

Dr Buruchara is the Director of the Pan-Africa Bean Research Alliance (PABRA)

PAMACC News - Partners of the Congo Basin Forest, which holds the second-largest bank of rainforest on the planet after the Amazon in South America are seeking to make conservation activities generate income that will help protect forests, fight against climate change and poverty in the region amidst increasing threats.

Experts say the use of conservation to create environment friendly investments that generate profit and ensure economic sustainability will help keep extractive industries and large scale palm oil plantations that threatens the Congo Basin Forest at bay.

“If we want to protect the Congo Basin Forest, we must make conservation pay and generate the necessary income to put food on the table for our survival and for the future of our children,” says Praven Moman,founder and CEO  of Volcanoes Safari, Rwanda.

He said investing in tourism with conservation travel products, safari and ecotourism including hospiltality, accommodation, guiding and logistics activities around the Congo Basin Forest will keep the forest resources and ecosystem intact, fight against climate change while at the same time generating income through employment of the local forest communities.

He cited the case of Gorilla Park  of Virungas in Kahuzi Biega in DRC, Wester Forest Park and Gorrilas in Gabon, the Republic of Congo, Central Africa and Cameroon, the Forest elephants in Cameroon and the Ba’ka pygmies in the forest communities of Cameroon as concrete examples of tourist attractions beckoning for investors to sustain the economy of the Congo Basin region and protect the forest from destruction.

According to the Congo Basin Forest Partnership, CBFP, only about 13 percent of the about 300 million hectares of the forest is protected leaving large spans of the rich forest vulnerable and threatened by invading agro-industries and mining investors.

The partners also emphasized on the need to invest in the education of forest communities on the importance of conservation.

The local forest communities are key drivers to protection of natural resources and thus the need to be empowered  in readiness to conservation challenges says Manfred Epanda, AWF Coordinator in Cameroon.

The forest expert say investment in educating the local communities on the importance of conservation was also key to drive the sustainable forest management agenda.

In a paper presented at a side event at the Congo Basin Forest Partnership meeting in Kigali November 22, 2016, Epanda emphasised on the need to adequately sensitize and educate the local population on the importance of conservation to their wellbeing.

“Studies by the AWF has shown the direct relationship between the level of education of the population and attitudes towards conservation and the fight against climate change,” he said.

One of the major outcome of the Kigali Congo Basin Forest Partnership was the reinforcement of public/private partnerships to attract private investors into the conservation projects in the region.

 Government officials from Congo Basin countries who attended the high-level pannel and the CBFP council meeting admitted that working with the private sector to promote investments in the tourism sector with National Parks and wildlife conservation areas will give a big push to conservation efforts both at national and regional levels.

"Promoting tourism in the forest sector  will permit for added value in economic driven investments, social and cultural boost, all essential to the welbeing of the local and indigenous populations," said Joseph Roland Matta former secretary of state in charge of forestry in Cameroon and now senator who attended the meeting.

Statistics from the Central African Forest Commission,COMIFAC says over 60 million people living inside and within the vicinity of the forest rely on its resources for subsistence.

Joseph Roland Matta pointed out that expanding Cameroon's tourism to the forestry sector is contained in the policy programmes defined by countries of the CEMAC zones of 2025 for DRC and 2035 for Cameroon.

"The example of successful tourism projects in some national parks presented at the meeting will serve as case study from which other countries will draw inspiration," he said.

According to the studies, the involvement of the local people in the conservation process will enhance protection of the ecosytem by some 11.40 percent, pointing out much resources including forest, wildlife and money can be saved by improving the attitude and knowledge of local people towards conservation.

Experts agree there is a direct relationship between the natural resource potential of a region and the socio-economic wellbeing of the population who rely on these resources for cash and subsistence income.

The local populations directly rely on their natural resources for survival, but the exploitation of these resources must be done sustainably says Richard Eba’a Atyi of CIFOR.

  

“Africans can rely on the Congo Basin forests, which acts as the world’s “second lung” after the Amazon”

Kaddu K. Sebunya, President, African Wildlife Foundation (AWF)

Members of Parties of the Congo Basin Forest Partnership gathered in Kigali  to discuss the problems facing Africa’s rich ecosystem and seed pathways to help solve them. One of these partners was the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF), Africa’s largest conservation organization initiating and engaging in wildlife and wild lands projects across the continent for 55 years.

According to the AWF President, Mr. Kaddu Sebunya, protecting the Congo Basin Forest, the biggest and diverse on the planet after Amazon is no easy task because the forest is increasingly threatened as development needs of member countries swells. In an interview with PAMACC News on the sidelines of the CBFP meeting, he says development and the protection of our ecosystems need not be mutually exclusive. While striving for growth, Africa must make better choices to minimize its consequences and the net impact on nature’s ecosystem

Q      We understand the African Wildlife Foundation is one of the international NGO’s that has been fronting activities to protect wildlife and the ecosystem in the Congo Basin region. Can you give an over view of the activities AWF has been carrying out in the field?

Let me start by saying that AWF works together with the people of Africa to ensure the wildlife and the wild lands of Africa will endure forever, and we articulate and promote a uniquely African conservation vision and voice for the whole continent. We envision Central Africa’s governments and people as champions for the conservation of the Congo Basin Forest for current and future generations.

Our programs in the Congo Basin include supporting the Congolese Institute for Nature Conservation (ICCN) in implementing adequate protection and participative management in a portion of the Bili-Uele complex. AWF has been working in the Maringa-Lopori-Wamba landscape in DRC since 2003. We are working with a diverse group of partners on a holistic program to: conserve the MLW landscape through land use planning and protected area management; protect wildlife, including the bonobo and forest elephant; combat climate change through forest protection and REDD+ initiatives; stem the bushmeat trade by strengthening the scout networks on the ground; and enhance the lives of the forest dependent communities through improved agriculture and other enterprises. AWF successfully established two protected areas, the Lomako–Yokokala Faunal Reserve and the Iyondji Community Bonobo Reserve, and is working to establish a third. This program is in partnership with CARPE/USAID.

In Cameroon, we are working closely with the National Conservation Service in Dja (NCSD) to improve the overall management of the Dja Faunal Reserve (DFR). We signed an MOU with the Ministry of Forest and Fauna (MINFOF) for the conservation reserve we have a full-time technical advisor based in DFR. We are also working with the Service de Conservation to train and equip the rangers with Cyber Tracker to improve anti-poaching and ecological monitoring. All training is followed by technical support either on-site or remotely.

Of what significance is the Congo Basin Forest to Africa today?

The Congo Basin Forest is cardinal to Africa’s survival; it is the water tower in Africa. Congo Basin forests provide critical water catchment services to Africa. A third of the 100 largest cities in the world, Kinshasa, Libreville, and Kigali, included, depend on protected forest areas for their water supply. The Congo Basin Forest provides food and supports the livelihood of local communities who practice subsistence agriculture in the area. As we witness other continents suffering air quality issues from rapid development, Africans can rely on the Congo Basin forests, which acts as the world’s “second lung” after the Amazon.

A forest is an extraordinary reservoir of carbon and biodiversity, and this explains while the Congo Basin Forest has become a center of attraction in the global challenge of climate change and conservation. Over 340 million dollars is spent in conservation efforts in the Congo Basin Forest today because of its importance to not only our natural ecosystems and the fight against climate but also in its role in the socio-cultural well being of the forest communities. Millions of people in the Congo Basin Forest and its immediate vicinity rely on the forest for subsistence, and this is crucial.

But conservationists say the forest today is facing big challenges?

Yes, and the big problem is our development drive. Africa’s youthful population is growing, and urbanization swell is real. Because of changes are driven by business and trade in Africa today, we need to define precisely the role of Wildlife and Wetland in our economic aspirations. If we do not do that, we are going to face the same problems faced by China, Asia, and other countries today in allocating land use.

However, development and the protection of our ecosystems need not be mutually exclusive. Without stopping the pace of development, we must make better choices to minimize the consequences and the net impact on nature’s ecosystems. Fortunately, we have the knowledge and the technology to identify and determine, for example, sustainable infrastructure development, community’s livelihood and wildlife conservation.

The exploitation of timber, oil, natural gas and rain forests is intensifying, and that means new infrastructure - roads and rail lines are opening up areas that were once difficult to traverse and putting increasing pressure on animal and plant populations.

This is a critical time for the people of the Congo Basin. Although, there are new and significant opportunities for economic growth and the quest for improved standard of living, the importance of preserving the basin's natural resources for future generation is also critical. Food and water security are ultimately impacted by how we manage our forests, combat climate change and cultivate our lands. The health of our bodies is tied to the health of the air we breathe, the soil in which we grow our food, and the water we consume.

So how do you think these challenges can be addressed?

AWF has been addressing issues supporting conservation efforts in Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo and entire francophone Africa. We are addressing various issues from technology to economic growth with their different challenges. However, we have to continue being innovative and tactical, factoring in new elements to better and improve how we manage our natural resources.

In the last 40 years, Africa has lost more than half of its land and animal, from Rhino, elephant, chimps and other species, Lake Chad is dwindling bringing hardship to the population that has continued to migrate in search of greener pastures. That is why as Africans, we have to look in the mirror and choose what we want to do. If we fail, others will define our priorities for us.

As conservationists, we have to change our mindset and talk with each other, work with other stakeholders to find lasting solutions. AWF has been working towards this, and that is why we do not limit our actions only with the forest. We intervene in other socio-economic sectors like schools, agriculture, etc.

Why your passion for conservation?

My passion for conservation is a passion for Africa if I did not have the passion for Africa, I do not think I would have a passion for conservation! I don’t think I would be passionate, as I would be doing conservation outside Africa.

Africa is the best continent on this planet. When you see the mistakes we make on this continent, I cannot sit back and do nothing because of where I started from, how could I explain this to my grandchildren? That I did not do anything when I had the knowledge, the experience, I knew what was wrong and what might happen, and I did nothing!

Africa is one of the most beautiful places on the planet earth, and we cannot sit and try to think that we should change Africa to what Europe, or Beijing, or New York is, rather make the right choice for Africa.



Interview by Elias Ngalame and Steven Nsamaza

KIGALI, Rwanda (PAMACC News) - The involvement of local communities in forest conservation actions at all levels is key to the success of conservation and sustainable use of wildlife resources in the Central African region, experts say.

According to African Wildlife Foundation (AWF), engaging local communities in natural resource management enhances conservation activities including the fight against poaching and wildlife trafficking.

“The local forest communities are key drivers to the fight against illegal and wildlife trafficking and thus the need to empower them in readiness to conservation challenges,” says Manfred Epanda, AWF Coordinator in Cameroon.

In a paper presented at a side event at the Congo Basin Forest Partnership meeting in Kigali November 22, 2016, Epanda emphasised on the need to adequately sensitise and educate the local population on the importance of conservation to their wellbeing.

“Studies by the AWF has shown the direct relationship between the level of education of the population and attitudes towards conservation,” he said.

According to the studies, the involvement of the local people in the conservation process will enhance conservation by some 11.40 percent, pointing out much resources including wildlife and money can be saved by improving the attitude and knowledge of local people towards conservation.

Experts agree there is a direct relationship between the natural resource potential of a region and the socio-economic wellbeing of the population who rely on these resources for cash and subsistence income.

“The local populations directly rely on their natural resources for survival, but the exploitation of these resources must be done sustainably,” says Richard Eba’a Atyi of CIFOR.

“We do not discourage hunting by the local population as a source of food. The law is against hunting in protected areas and hunting for commercial purposes. This is what the AWF and other partners are against,” says Jef Dupain, Regional Director West Africa, AWF.

Conservation experts also called for reinforcement of wildlife trafficking laws in the Congo Basin forest region to curb increasing illegal poaching activities, especially in protected areas.

Manfred Epanda cited the case of the Dja Faunal Reserve in Cameroon known to be ivory trafficking hotspots, necessitating the reinforcement of the wildlife law and continuous education and involvement of the local population in the protection process.

“ The co-management of protected areas with the local people permit for mastery of the local reality like culture, language, people and provide the opportunity for the population to identify with the project,” he said.

The Dja Faunal Reserve he explained is a UNESCO world heritage site that is facing significant challenges although numerous conservation initiatives are presently ongoing in and around the reserve.

Unfortunately, it attracts the attention of traffickers because it is one of the last remaining refuges for wild apes and many other endangered species in the region, Epanda explained.

Chimpanzees are totally protected wildlife species by the 1994 wildlife law, which stipulates that anyone found in possession of parts of a protected wildlife species, is considered to have killed the animal experts said. The aim is to protect animals like the chimpanzee that are facing serious threats from poaching.

 In Cameroon for example according to statistic, some 32 chimpanzee skulls have been seized since the beginning of 2016 during operations carried out under the framework of the wildlife law enforcement initiative started by the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife (MINFOF) in 2003 to effectively enforce the laws.

MINFOF has since been working hard to ensure that those involved with the slaughter and sale of chimpanzee parts are prosecuted because their acts infringe the wildlife law, experts said.