Son tra, the miracle fruit behind the tea that will simultaneously save forests, raise the income of smallholder farmers in Northwestern Vietnam, transform their landscapes, and be healthy for you. Son tra, aka the H’mong apple, taorung, maccam, or macsamcha depending on whether you are in Vietnam, India, Myanmar, or some southern provinces of China, is an indigenous fruit tree species growing naturally in forests around the Himalayas. It is especially abundant in areas populated by the H’mong people in Northwestern Vietnam, hence the local name "H'mong apple" (Docynia Indica). Listed as … [Read more...]
Legumes: a Unified Solution to Food, Fodder and Soil Fertility
Humans love them, herbivorous animals thrive on them, the earth benefits from their presence, but not enough are being grown. From the vegetarian platters of Ethiopia, to Githeri in Kenya, Saka Madesu in the Congo, and the ubiquitous groundnut, Legumes continue to sustain people across the African continent. The paradox, however, is their extremely low coverage, especially in African farming systems, where they could play a pivotal role in the lives and livelihoods of farmers, their families, and the continent at large. This is precisely what LegumeCHOICE, a participatory research … [Read more...]