By Nneka Nwogwugwu
Despite the seeming bounty of shea butter products in markets and on beauty counters globally, little known threats to shea trees are looming, a study has revealed.
Larry Becker, professor of geography at Oregon State University carried out this study.
The report reads: “Across the African savanna belt from Senegal to Ethiopia, threats to shea trees (Vitellaria paradoxa) — the source of shea butter — have become a regional environmental concern.
“At the local level, land struggles disrupt social ties that have historically determined access to natural resources like shea trees, forests, and arable land.
“Poor farmers urgently in need of cash are cutting shea trees and reducing the fallow fields where shea regenerates. With the proliferation of shea butter products on beauty aisles globally, the growing threat to shea trees remains little known.
“Cooking oil, skin moistener, hair conditioner, soap, medicine, and edible fruit are among the many uses of shea (also called karité) in the savanna belt.
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“Rural women collect its nuts and process them to make shea butter, a significant source of income where there are few other options. The shea tree shares field space with staple food crops, providing ecosystem services of erosion control, groundwater recharge, and leaf mulch.”
Calls for protecting shea trees and enhancing the income generating potential of rural African women need to be heard.
In January at the University of Peleforo Gon Coulibaly in Korhogo, Cote d’Ivoire, Professor Nafan Diarrassouba led a 3-day workshop on grafting shea trees. Prof. Diarrassouba’s research aims to improve shea nut yields.
Such domestication of shea could further distance the tree from its traditional cultural and ecological contexts; however, it could also lead to higher nut yields in the increasingly market-integrated economies of rural African communities where the tree grows.
The Global Shea Alliance, an international non-profit organization, promotes sustainability and market opportunities.
It is made up of women’s groups, retailers, and NGOs from over 30 producing and consuming countries.
To increase its value, shea butter can be certified organic, fair-trade, and GMO-free. Shea butter could also potentially benefit from geographic indications that recognize women’s regional heritage techniques in butter-making. These efforts could greatly benefit the rural women producers and protect the trees.
Source: Mongabay
