By Winnie Kamau
Every man in any part of the world needs a good performance contract with their partner. Many have gone to great lengths just to ensure that this is a reality and many end up getting it wrong and some have died or got hurt in the process.
I will let you into a little secret I learnt from my new friend Armamd Asseng a Specialist of Natural Resources with Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) that might cause a stampede to the Congo basin. The Bitter Kola Nut (Garcinia kola) found in the Congo Basin in several Central and West African Countries is a great aphrodisiac and is used to enhance the performance of men. The Bitter Kola in its essence of the word is eaten raw and so is the Kola nut which is used in ceremonies as a symbol of unity in the community and so is the palm wine which is collected from the sap of a palm tree.
Gnetum Africanum also known as Okok is a product from the forests which is a vine species and its leaves are high in iron and very good for pregnant mothers and people with iron deficiency. This are some of the products found in the forests including the bark of trees, the seeds, the roots all are called Non Wood Forest Products (NWFP).
17% of the World’s forest cover is in Africa with a total of over 600 million Hectares and FAO’s Central Africa Regional Coordinator Ousseynou Ndoye has raised a red flag with the alarming rate which the forest degraded “Africa’s forest degradation is the highest at 0.5% intimating the use of adaptation and mitigation as key long term solution”.
For many the word forest resonates with timber, firewood and charcoal this are the common end products that we find after felling down a tree. But for the people living in the Congo Basin the Forest is more than Timber and firewood. Forests in the Congo Basin provide food and income to more than 100 million inhabitants.
Asseng during the African Forestry and Wildlife Commission (AFWC) conference held in Nairobi where he was exhibiting products from the Forest. Things many of us take for granted including fruits, leaves, caterpillars,sap and barks. “You people in the city have many problems. I take my bark, my leaves and Kola nuts and am okay” says Asseng who is a big advocate of NWFP.
Non Wood Forest Products (NWFP) play a critical economic role in Africa, in Cameroon for instance their annual income from NWFP is at 470 Million US Dollars. Governments in Africa need to heavily invest in this unsung sector which strengthens food security for many households. There is an urgency to have a high level political will to boost this sector with infrastructure like the local processing plants which creates value addition to the products. The certification of NWFP improves credibility, quality and also farmers are able to get high quality prices for their products.
The NWFP provide, employment, revenue, construction materials, medicine and empower the women to become independent. The biggest threat faced is deforestation which impacts negatively on the households and dependant communities. An urgent need to preserve this forests which not only provides the aphrodisiac but also profound benefits for all humanity.
