Robert Fungo

La biofortification est un processus par lequel la valeur nutritionnelle (vitamines et/ou minéraux) d’une culture vivrière est améliorée par le processus de sélection conventionnelle. L’amélioration de nouvelles variétés biofortifiées repose sur la sélection génétique pour développer une plante avec des teneurs plus élevées en protéines, vitamines et les minéraux, notamment le fer, le zinc, la provitamine A, etc,. Onze haricots améliorés riches en fer et en zinc ont été introduits sur le marché au Cameroun à la suite d’une récente analyse nutritionnelle portant sur plus de 30 variétés de haricots communs (variétés locales et variétés introduites). L’adoption et la diffusion de ces variétés nouvellement identifiées avec une grande concentration en fer et en zinc contribuera à lutter contre les carences en fer et en zinc chez les femmes et les enfants de moins de cinq ans. La culture et la vente du haricot amélioré permettront également d’améliorer les revenus et la sécurité alimentai...

<strong>Supplementary Material for manuscript: Together for the food-secure future: The crop improvement strategy for 2020's and beyond.</strong> <em><strong>Abstract: </strong></em>The Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) crop improvement (CI) programs, unlike commercial CI programs, which are mainly geared profit though meeting farmers' needs, are charged with meeting multiple objectives with target populations that include both farmers and the community at large. We evaluate the role of various research disciplines in CI, their current stage of integration, maturity and relevance to the wide range of goals on the CGIAR agenda. First, we obtained the opinions from more than thirty experts, from many disciplinary areas, associated with crop improvement in the private and public sector. We summarized this information and identified the key activities and methodologies that could improve the CGIARs capacity to fulfill its mission. The issues we highlight are presented within the framework of: (1) human nature; (2) focus; (3) rapidly evolving technology; and (4) management and policies. We use the experience of the past to guide future efforts to accelerate our interpretation of the CGIAR´s vision of not only a well-fed world but also a prosperous and sustainable rural landscape.

This paper considers the role of professional societies and networks in building capacity for improved nutrition through cohesion with relevant national institutions and development partners on issues of food and nutrition policy development, implementation, and monitoring. It draws heavily on practical experience and capacity of professional members of the Uganda Action for Nutrition (UGAN), a corporate agency and society that advocates for adequate nutrition for all in Uganda. UGAN evolved from a United States Agency for International Development (USAID) effort, to a Ugandan owned and managed initiative that provides a forum to advocate for adequate nutrition for all through all channels of policy and leadership. In effect, UGAN activities are geared towards improved productivity and realisation of high quality nutrition advocacy messages and actions to influence positive development outcomes. The outputs provide options for improving the food and nutrition security and livelihood...

Undernutrition is a major public health concern in Uganda. Locally available nutrient dense diets can help reduce the problem of undernutrition. Utilisation of cowpea leaf powder in preparing composite porridge blends depends on sensory acceptance of the consumers. A Nutrisurvey software was used to formulate two composite flour blends, namely maize and millet in a ratio 2:8 and cowpea-maize in a ratio of 1:9 to achieve the daily requirement of protein for children. The study developed a process for the production of composite cowpea flour from finger millet flour and maize flour and followed a one factor design in which maize flour (MF) and millet flour (MMF) was substituted with cowpea leaves flour (CPL). The composites were dried using refractance window drying technology. The proximate composition of the composite flours were determined using standard methods while sensory acceptability of porridges was rated on a five-point Likert scale using an untrained panel. Results indicat...

Baillonella toxisperma Pierre oil is an edible oil obtained from the seeds of wildly growing timber producing B. toxisperma tree species in Cameroon and the rest of the Congo Basin forests of West and Central Africa. This oil can be an important source of fat that can be used as a source of food to humans and/or a source of raw materials in the cosmetics, pharmaceutical and nutraceutical industries, to produce important commercial products. In the present study, samples of the seeds of B. toxisperma were harvested from three representative villages, each from the site in South and East of Cameroon. Seed oil was extracted using the traditional extraction method of B. toxisperma oils in rural Cameroon. Physico-chemical characteristics including colour, refractive index, viscosity, oil yield, acid value, peroxide value, saponification value, iodine value and α-tocopherols and fatty acid composition of crude oil of B. toxisperma nuts were all investigated. The oil yields from these seed...

The goal of this study was to understand the relationship between timber exploitation and changes in dietary patterns of communities adjoining forest concessions in the Congo Basin. About 724 households were randomly selected from thirty four communities living in six forest concessions of the Congo Basin. Food consumption pattern data was collected using a validated food-frequency questionnaire in 2012. Results showed that food consumption patterns varied across the selected communities: In the Democratic Republic of Congo a typical forestagricultural dependent dietary pattern was noticed consisting of greater intake of corn, banana, caterpillars, bush meat, groundnuts, cassava leaves, wild fruits and lower consumption of processed food. A mixed pattern was noticed in Cameroon consisting of high consumption of cassava, banana, groundnuts, fresh fruits, wild fruits and low intake of bush meat, frozen meat, green leafy vegetables and fats. A westernized dietary pattern was noticed in...

Much of the Congo Basin is managed for timber from dozens of species. More than 60% of them also produce nontimber products, including foods gathered by local people. For five multiple use tree species in Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Gabon (Entandrophragma cylindricum, Baillonella toxisperma, Erythrophleum suaveloens, Dacryodes buettneri and Gambeya lacourtiana), we studied gathering and consumption by communities, the volumes of edible caterpillars hosted, the densities of trees around villages and in concessionsand the impacts of timber harvesting on the trees and their population viability. In addition, we studied the consumption of forest foods and the nutritional values of fruits and seeds of various tree species.We found that villagers walked up to more than five km during day trips to collect fruits or caterpillars, gathering from concessions if the village was within or near it. When food resources were gathered from trees smaller than the cutting diamete...

The CGIAR crop improvement (CI) programs, unlike commercial CI programs, which are mainly geared to profit though meeting farmers’ needs, are charged with meeting multiple objectives with target populations that include both farmers and the community at large. We compiled the opinions from >30 experts in the private and public sector on key strategies, methodologies, and activities that could the help CGIAR meet the challenges of providing farmers with improved varieties while simultaneously meeting the goals of: (i) nutrition, health, and food security; (ii) poverty reduction, livelihoods, and jobs; (iii) gender equality, youth, and inclusion; (iv) climate adaptation and mitigation; and (v) environmental health and biodiversity. We review the crop improvement processes starting with crop choice, moving through to breeding objectives, production of potential new varieties, selection, and finally adoption by farmers. The importance of multidisciplinary teams working towards common...

Makerere University, School of food Technology, Nutrition and Bio-engineering, P.O. Box 7062, Kampala, Uganda The Pan-Africa Bean Research Alliance (PABRA). The Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT). P. O. Box 6247, Kampala, Uganda African Natural Resources Centre, African Development Bank, Côte d’Ivoire Institut de Recherche en Ecologie Tropicale, Libreville, P.O. Box 13345, Gabon Institut de Recherche Agricole pour le Développement (IRAD), Yaoundé, P.O. Box 2785, Cameroon Faculté des sciences, Université de Kisangani, BP 2012, Kisangani, RD Congo Department of Biochemistry, University of Yaounde 1, Yaounde, Cameroon International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), Carratera México-Veracruz Km. 45, El Batán, Texcoco, México, C.P. 56237

Widely consumed forest fruits in Gabon were analysed for nutrient and bioactive compositions and their potential contributions to meeting the nutrient requirements of consumers. Edible pulps of Panda oleosa Pierre, Gambeya lacourtiana (De Wild.) Aubrév. & Pellegr. and Poga oleosa Pierre contained substantial amounts of bioactive compounds; flavonoids (13.5–22.8 mg/100 g), proanthocyanins (2.4–7.6 mg/100 g), polyphenols (49.6–77.3 mg/100 g) and vitamin C (6.7–97.7 mg/100 g). The highest content of β-carotene (76.6 µg/100 g) was registered in fruits of Pseudospondias longifolia Engl. The fruits of P. oleosa had the highest essential minerals Fe, Zn and Se. If a child aged 1 to 3 years consumed about 200 g or if a non-lactating and non-pregnant woman consumed 300 g of Panda oleosa, Afrostyrax lepidophyllus Mildbr., G. lacourtiana, P. longifolia and Poga oleosa, they could obtain substantial DRI ranging between 20–100% for energy, vitamins C and E, iron, magnesium, iron and zinc. Forest...

Bananas and plantains (Musa sp.) are major staple foods in many developing countries of the world. Although bananas are rich in carbohydrate, fiber, protein, fat, and vitamins A, C, and B6 they are largely deficient of iron (Fe), iodine, and zinc (Zn). A small increase in the micronutrient content of bananas could play a major role in combating disorders that are due to deficiency of mineral micronutrients such as Fe and Zn. The objective of this study was to determine the Fe and Zn content of 47 banana genotypes from a germplasm collection in Uganda using atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The Fe and Zn content showed wide variability and highly significant differences (P < 0.001) within and among the different banana categories selected for this study. The highest average Fe content (1.42 mg/100 g) was found in ‘Saba’ (ABB) while the least Fe content (0.06 mg/100 g) was found in ‘Kikundi’ (AAA). The highest average Zn content (1.21 mg/100 g) among the analyzed accessions was ...

Widely consumed forest fruits in Gabon were analysed for nutrient and bioactive compositions and their potential contributions to meeting the nutrient requirements of consumers. Edible pulps of Panda oleosa Pierre, Gambeya lacourtiana (De Wild.) Aubrév. & Pellegr. and Poga oleosa Pierre contained substantial amounts of bioactive compounds; flavonoids (13.5–22.8 mg/100 g), proanthocyanins (2.4–7.6 mg/100 g), polyphenols (49.6–77.3 mg/100 g) and vitamin C (6.7–97.7 mg/100 g). The highest content of β-carotene (76.6 µg/100 g) was registered in fruits of Pseudospondias longifolia Engl. The fruits of P. oleosa had the highest essential minerals Fe, Zn and Se. If a child aged 1 to 3 years consumed about 200 g or if a non-lactating and non-pregnant woman consumed 300 g of Panda oleosa, Afrostyrax lepidophyllus Mildbr., G. lacourtiana, P. longifolia and Poga oleosa, they could obtain substantial DRI ranging between 20–100% for energy, vitamins C and E, iron, magnesium, iron and zinc. Forest...

Widely consumed forest fruits in Gabon, were analyzed for nutrient and bioactive compositions and their potential contributions to meeting the nutrient requirements of consumers. Edible pulps of Panda oleosa, Gambeya lacourtiana and Poga oleosa contained substantial amounts of bioactive compounds; flavonoids (13.5–22.8 mg/100g), proanthocyanins (2.4–7.6 mg/100g), polyphenols (49.6-77.3 mg/100g) and vitamin C (6.7–97.7 mg/100g). The highest content of β-carotene (76.6 µg/100g) was registered in fruits of Pseudospondias longifolia. The fruits of P. oleosa had the highest essential minerals Fe, Zn and Se. If a child aged 1 to 3 years consumed about 200g or if a non-lactating and non-pregnant woman consumed 300g of P. oleosa, A. lepidophyllus, G. lacourtiana, P. longifolia and P. oleosa, they could obtain substantial RDI ranging between 20-100% for energy, vitamins C and E, iron, magnesium, iron and zinc. Forest fruits can considerably contribute towards the...

Collection of reliable and comparable individual food consumption data is of primary importance to better understand, control and monitor malnutrition and its related comorbidities in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), including in Africa. The lack of standardised dietary tools and their related research support infrastructure remains a major obstacle to implement concerted and region-specific research and action plans worldwide. Citing the magnitude and importance of this challenge, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC/WHO) launched the "Global Nutrition Surveillance initiative" to pilot test the use of a standardized 24-h dietary recall research tool (GloboDiet), validated in Europe, in other regions. In this regard, the development of the GloboDiet-Africa can be optimised by better understanding of the local specific methodological needs, barriers and opportunities. The study aimed to evaluate the standardized 24-h dietary recall research tool (G...

Objective To determine the contribution of forest foods to dietary intake and estimate their association with household food insecurity. Design Cross-sectional survey conducted among 279 households. Using a 7 d recall questionnaire, information on household food consumption was collected from women and used to determine the household dietary diversity score, food variety score and forest food consumption score (FFCS). Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) score was determined and Spearman rank correlation was used to establish the relationship between consumption of forest foods and HFIAS score. Women’s dietary intake was estimated from two 24 h recalls. The contribution of forest foods to women’s nutrient intakes was calculated and women’s nutrient intakes were compared with estimated average nutrient requirements. Setting Rural forest-dependent households in twelve villages in eastern and southern Cameroon. Subjects Household heads and their non-pregnant, non-lactating sp...

Studies show that a number of forest foods consumed in Cameroon are highly nutritious and rich in health boosting bioactive compounds. This study assessed the knowledge and perceptions towards the nutritional and health promoting properties of forest foods among forest dependent communities. The relationship between knowledge, perceptions and socio-demographic attributes on consumption of forest foods was also determined. A total of 279 females in charge of decision making with respect to food preparation were randomly selected from 12 villages in southern and eastern Cameroon and interviewed using researcher administered questionnaires. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify the factors affecting consumption of forest foods. Baillonella toxisperma (98%) and Irvingia gabonesis (81%) were the most known nutrient rich forest foods by the respondents. About 31% of the respondents were aware of the nutritional value and health benefits of forest foods. About 10%-61% of the respondents expressed positive attitudes to questions related with health benefits of specific forest foods. Consumption of forest foods was found to be higher among polygamous families and also positively related to length of stay in the forest area and age of respondent with consumption of forest foods. Education had an inverse relationship with use of forest foods. Knowledge and positive attitude towards the nutritional value of forest foods were also found to positively influence consumption of forest foods. Since knowledge was found to influence attitude and consumption, there is need to invest in awareness campaigns to strengthen the current knowledge levels among the study population. This should positively influence the attitudes and perceptions towards increased consumption of forest foods.

Central Africa Francophone coun-tries are a group of states geographi-cally located in the center of Africa. They are grouped for the majority; within the community of states of Central Africa whose acronym in French is CEMAC. The CEMAC zone includes six countries: Cameroon, Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, the Central African Republic and Chad. The Democratic Republic of Congo, Congo Brazzaville and Rwanda complete the list of CEMAC states to form the Sub Saharan French-speaking countries. In 2010, the population of this region of Af-rica was estimated at more than 60 million. The cultural and biological diversity within the area have brought the region a variety in terms of nutritional perspectives

... Fungo R. Pillay M. Other links: PubMed Citation Related articles in PubMed. ... β-Carotene content of selected banana genotypes from Uganda. Robert Fungo 1 and Michael Pillay 2 *. 1 International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Uganda PO Box 7878 Kampala, Uganda. ...