Local community tree management of Ziziphus mauritiana : An exploratory study from the mid-Zambezi Valley, Zimbabwe

Throughout much of the mid-Zambezi Valley, Ziziphus mauritiana or musawu as it is commonly known, is a uniquely adapted tree to both drought and intensive coppicing conditions. Residents in this area use this small thorny tree for its fruit, shade, fodder and fuelwood. During the fruiting season (June to September) large quantities of fresh fruit are sold at local markets or along the roadside to middlemen, transporters and retailers. Preliminary observations prior to this study suggested an industry of considerable size and one that has the potential to generate significant food and cash incomes for household, many of whom are low-income, in the Zambezi Valley. Individuals must make decisions about natural resource management based on a complex arrangement of private, communal and State held property rights, where rules of access do not always equate with behavior. It is the management and tenure arrangements of musawu that have been the basis for this study.