Australian acacias as multi-purpose agro-forestry species for semi-arid regions of Africa

Abstract

The seeds of certain Australian Acacia species are tasty, safe to consume and nutritious. Being perennial, mature acacias can take advantage of rains that would be ineffective for annual crops, such as out of season or poorly distributed rains. Acacia seeds are easily harvested and processed into flour using simple technologies which already exist in typical African villages. The flour can be incorporated into local dishes and "non-traditional" foods such as spaghetti, bread and biscuits. The seed also has great potential as livestock feed. Alternatively, the hard-coated seeds can be easily stored for many years and act as a famine reserve food. Much effort has gone into safety testing and promoting edible seeded Australian acacias for direct human consumption, but the rate of adoption has been slow. However, other characteristics of these same species may have an even greater impact on food security than actual consumption of the seed. The Farmer Managed Agro-forestry Farming System (FMAFS) that incorporates a range of annual and perennial crops is being promoted as a sustainable rainfed farming alternative to traditional and destructive slash-and-burn monocultures.