Abstract
Vitellaria paradoxa (Gaertn C. F.), or shea tree, remains one of the most valuable trees for farmers in the Atacora district of northern Benin, where rural communities depend on shea products for both food and income. To optimize productivity and management of shea agroforestry systems, or "parklands," accurate and up-to-date data are needed. For this purpose, we monitored120 fruiting shea trees for two years under three land-use scenarios and different soil groups in Atacora, coupled with a farm household survey to elicit information on decision making and management practices. To examine the local pattern of shea tree productivity and relationships between morphological factors and yields, we used a randomized branch sampling method and applied a regression analysis to build a shea yield model based on dendrometric, soil and land-use variables. We also compared potential shea yields based on farm household socio-economic characteristics and management practices derived from the survey data. Soil and land-use variables were the most important determinants of shea fruit yield. In terms of land use, shea trees growing on farmland plots exhibited the highest yields (i.e., fruit quantity and mass) while trees growing on Lixisols performed better than those of the other soil group. Contrary to our expectations, dendrometric parameters had weak relationships with fruit yield regardless of land-use and soil group. There is an inter-annual variability in fruit yield in both soil groups and land-use type. In addition to observed inter-annual yield variability, there was a high degree of variability in production among individual shea trees. Furthermore, household socioeconomic characteristics such as road accessibility, landholding size, and gross annual income influence shea fruit yield. The use of fallow areas is an important land management practice in the study area that influences both conservation and shea yield.
Highlights
IntroductionF.), commonly known as shea tree produces an edible fruit that is the source of one of Africa’s most ancient food oils
There is a renewed interest in protecting and improving shea resources as domestic and international demand for shea kernel and shea butter increases. This attempt to characterize shea tree fruit yield in Atacora District was successful in the sense that observed fruit yields were comparable to records from other shea producing areas
Soil groups and management practices should be considered for optimizing shea trees yields, whereas certain household socio-economic characteristics were found to influence farmers’ decisions regarding management practice choices
Summary
F.), commonly known as shea tree produces an edible fruit that is the source of one of Africa’s most ancient food oils. Shea trees are indigenous to semiarid and sub-humid savannas of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), occurring on nearly 1 million km2among 18 African countries[1, 2]. Shea butter, the main product of this tree, is sold on local, domestic and international markets for baking, confectionery, cosmetic and pharmaceutical purposes. In contrast to other important regional cash crops such as cotton and cashew, shea tree production benefit from few integrated development efforts that represent meaningful investments in improving management practices; involvement in the shea industry has been concentrated almost exclusively on improving processing and marketing. Despite seven centuries of commercial shea butter trade in areas beyond its geographic distribution, it essentially remains a semi-domesticated resource[3]
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