Southern Africa clones wild fruit trees to aid forests and food security

Researchers in Southern Africa have been cloning wild fruit trees for decades, working at gene banks across the region. The Landscape Alliance recently cloned the wild loquat, an evergreen tree whose berries feed millions and provide income. Alice Muchugi and her team use a technique called “air layering” to quickly grow new, mature trees from branches.

This method reduces the time needed to establish fruit-bearing trees, helping to preserve both the biodiversity of miombo woodlands and a vital food source for local communities. Planting these trees protects an important alternative food source as forests disappear.