Some medicinal trees and shrubs of eastern Africa for sustainable utilisation and commercialisation

The book “Some Medicinal Trees and Shrubs of Eastern Africa for Sustainable Utilisationand Commercialisation” is a fulfilment of one of the major recommendations adopted by theEast and Central Africa Regional Agricultural Forum For Training Team (ECA-RAFT)Workshop tnd General meeting held in Kia1i, Rwanda, during the period 24th ßth j4jy2004. The ECA — RAFT, an ICRAF supported initiative, is a regional network of publicUniversities and Colleges, dedicated to the enhancement of training in Agroforestry andintegrated natural resources management in tertiary institutions. The geneni assembly ofECA—RAFT, while reviewing the status of Agroforestry and natural resources educationalmaterials available in universities and tertiary institutions in the region, concluded that therewas an urgent need to eithanœ and mobilise the teaching capacity of educators andeducaztional institutions in Agroforestry and integrated natural resources management. Hence,the adoption of the recommendation: “to develop a new manuscript on medicinal trees andshTuIs” as one key regional priority activity in pursuit of this objective. Consequeútly andewithin the constramts of the available resources, a regional tem drawn from four umversitiesnamely, Makerere University, Jomo Kenyafta University of Agriculture and Technology(JKUAT), Kenyatta University (KU) and coordinated by Maseno University (MSIJ) wasconstituted to undertake the task that has culminated in the publication of this book.Indeed within the last decade, there has been unprecedented growth in the utilisation bof medicinal trees and shrubs in healthcne provision not only in the region but globally. Thishas been, especially in response to contemporary challenges in the management of HIV andAIDS pandemic and similarly in the treatment of drug resistant malaria. These two diseaseshave in fact been singled out as global priority healthcare action points within the millenniumdevelopment goals. Medicinal trees and shrubs have therefore assumed new relevance inAgroforestry development and associated integrated natural resources management.The authors have deliberately chosen the title of this book “Some Medicinal Treesand Shrubs of Eastern Africa for Sustainable Utilisation and Commercialisation” inrecognition of the fact that it is indeed almost impossible and in any case from the outset, itwas never the intention of the authors to produce an exhaustive ccxnpilation of medicinaltrees and shrubs of the region. That purpose is adequately sewed by other titles such as thecountry specific “Useful Trees and Shrubs” compiled by RELMA. Rather, the objective is tohighlight sample case species that can rightly claim to be community priorities fordomestication and commercialisation. It is our hope that as a reference material, it willprovoke further debate and stimulate policy dialogue in shaping development of thisimportant natural resource in which the region commands significant comparative advantage.lii chapter 2, issues pertinent to enhanced utilisation as they relate to production forcommercial purposes are discussed. The current trends in the use of medicinal trees andshrubs in the region are highlighted while challenges to research and development areexplained. Current threats and needs for domestication are highlighted while the future trendsand research needs are well documented. In Chapter 3, we examine. the challenges that lie inthe path to commercialisation both for the domestic market and in international trade. Therapidly emerging knowledge economy and thç need for application of international treaties

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