Open Access

The agricultural sector represents an important means of livelihood for the rural population in Central Asia, while the region's agricultural and forest landscapes are at risk of degradation due to population growth and economic development. The SUFACHAIN project aims to analyse agroforestry systems and integrate them into local land use systems, while developing products and technologies that contribute to the sustainable use of resources and create local value. In close collaboration with local partners, the project will (1) analyse and design sustainable agroforestry systems, (2) improve quality in the foods made from agroforestry products, (3) develop efficient technologies for the re-use of waste materials from the processing chain, (4) improve transparency along the supply chain, (5) increase local value by valorising selected ecosystem services and (6) develop attractive market niches for agroforestry products.

Uganda’s homegardens are highly diverse small-scale farming systems. They provide the majority of the food consumed by local people and preserve a large number of traditional crops. This booklet provides a guide to common crops found in southwestern Uganda’s homegardens. It features descriptions and uses for 68 crops divided into four sections according to crop type (annual crops, perennial herbaceous crops, shrubs and trees). Crops are ranked according to their ethnobotanical importance. Each section begins with the most important crop. Each page has four photos of the crop and includes the most common local names (in Runyankole and Luganda), as well as the common English and botanical names. Additional information on the uses and occurrences is provided as well. We hope that this booklet will be of interest to a broad community of people interested in sustainable agriculture, food systems and food security issues: e.g. both Ugandan and international academics, non-government and government actors.