Status report on global Neem usage - Biblioteca Nacional de Portugal

1. INTRODUCTION
1. Introduction
"The neem tree, the tree of the future" - this is more or less how all articles start when the
Indian press features its neem tree. There is no doubt that the role this exceptional tree with
its manifold uses could play in securing food supply and protecting our environment should
not be underestimated. The tree holds great potential for the reafforestation of eroded soils,
for use as a natural pesticide and in medicine - to name just a few of the most important
areas.
The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH started propagating
the neem tree in development-cooperation projects in the 70ies. Initially, the GTZ focused
on researching its active principles and various possible uses, but later channelled its efforts
into disseminating the tree and knowledge of its practical uses, adressing first small farmers
and ngo and later small scale entrepreneurs (7,8,16-19, 40). Today, the GTZ is working
towards making this experience and knowledge available to broad sections of the population.
To do so, work at project level alone is not sufficient. Instead, neem usage has to be
anchored on a broad basis in the population itself, a task requiring not only the commitment
of state-run programmes, which propagate the neem tree and its various uses, but one which
also relies on private organisations and the private sector. For only when a varied group of
sponsors has come together will it be possible to integrate the neem tree sustainably and
appropriately into the respective social setting.
This study aims to document the current status of neem usage across the globe as well as
the experience gained to date, with a view to generating a basis for future neem projects.
The key focus is on neem's use as a non-synthetic pesticide; probably neem's greatest
potential beside medecin for use.
In addition to the information concerning neem's dissemination and potential uses, this <strong>report</strong>
also presents the key projects, organisations and institutions that work with neem or have
worked with it in the recent past. In so doing, the <strong>report</strong> looks into the various methods and
technological approaches as well as the level of acceptance and the difficulties encountered
in using neem. Various countries' activities with neem are given as examples.
To gain as complete an overview as possible of the current status of neem usage, four
different methods were used to obtain the requisite information:
1. Evaluation of the latest literature and publications on the subject of neem.
2. Dissemination of a questionnaire concerning global neem usage to GTZ projects and
other organisations, as well as institutions or private people who work with neem; subsequent
evaluation.
3. Compilation and evaluation of documents pertaining to projects that have just been
completed, as well as evaluation of documentation on existing projects which did not
return the questionnaire.
4. Review of our backstopping and project planning activities during the past 5 years.
Technical data on the questionnaire: 111 questionnaires were sent out in 1996 worldwide, 41
to ongoing GTZ projects, 30 to GOs (institutions and projects), 34 to NGOs and 6 to private
individuals. The response rate totalled 42 %.
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