Abstract:
Tropical fruit trees constitute important biological resources in the global
agro-biodiversity context. Unlike the tropical fruit trees of American and Asian origin,
indigenous fruit trees (IFTs) of tropical Africa have scarcely achieved the status of
international recognition in commodity markets and research arena. This study was
undertaken in a sub-humid area of northern Uganda to document the diversity of
edible IFTs and evaluate domestic consumption and market potential of the selected
IFTs. Semi-structured questionnaires, interviews, focused group discussions (FDGs)
and transect walks were done to document diversity of IFTs and their utilization in the
study area. A total of 302 respondents were interviewed. Results showed that there are
34 edible indigenous fruit trees in the study area. Vitellaria paradoxa C.F.Gaetn,
Phoenix reclinata Jacq, Ximenia Americana L, Vitex doniana sweet, and Tamarindus
indica L. were the priority ranked fruit trees. Meanwhile Vangueria apiculata K. schum,
Ximenia americana L, and Saba comorensis (Boj.) Pichon were perceived as the most threatened species.