In West Africa, awell-known local plant, the shea tree[], is important as a source of nutrition for local people andan export to the West. Its fruit looks like large plums or small avocados. Theyyield calorie-rich oil used in preparing regional dishes and as an ingredientin the manufacturing of cosmetic.
Oil from thesmooth-skinned, egg-shaped nut of the shea fruit is a regular ingredient in cookingin the semiarid zone below the Sahara, including parts of Sudan, Ethiopiaand Uganda: it adds taste and texture to porridge and is used to fryfritters, griddlecakes and many other foods.
Don Osborn, anexpert in international development with a focus on African agriculture andresource management, says it's a main cooking oil in parts of West Africa.
"It's the only natural oil," he says,"that is a solidat room temperature. It facilitates it being traded; youcan put it in a vessel but you don't have to have the same attention to jars asthe other oils."
The fleshy pulp ofthe shea fruit includes moderate amounts of calcium, iron and vitamin B. Thekernels of the seeds are often roasted before eating.
The wood of thetree, which is said to resist termites, was used in making the beds of ancient kings.These days it's often used to make charcoal.
The shea tree is animportant source of income: It's the third largest cash crop in Burkina Fasoand Ghana, where it's surpassed only by cocoa and coffee. Food industries arebeginning to use the shea butter in producing pastries and sweets. The butterhas also been used as a popular skin care product since the days of Cleopatra,when it was shipped to Egypt.
But there arechallenges to producing more trees and to increasing the production of shea oil.
Some of them arediscussed in a set of publications from the US National Research Council called.
The authors of the series say it's difficult to cultivate thetrees, which mostly grow in the wild, although some farmers also plant the treealongside their cereals. Unlike oil palm and olives, relatively few of theslow-maturing trees are grown in plantations.
The writers urgefood scientists to improve their research on the shea tree, including itsreproductive system. Well-tended trees may produce fruit within 12 years, butmany others may take three and four times as long. Research could lead toadvances in fruit production or to regular annual yields.
The production ofshea butter is also tedious, especially for the women who process it. The pulpmust rot in order to release the seed, which must be washed and dried in thesun or roasted in an oven. The seed is then broken to get the kernel, whichmust be ground and heated. The result is a brownish paste that must be strainedor kneaded for hours to produce the fat used as shea butter.
Rather than going throughall that trouble, many communities simply send the kernels to Europe forprocessing. There, sophisticated machinery, including hydraulic presses, removethe fat in a quicker, cheaper and more efficient way.
But somedevelopment experts say with fair pay and the technology to make processingeasier, much of the work could be done in Africa and could benefit workersthere. This would also add value to the shea product before export.
Paul Noren is amissionary with the Evangelical Covenant Church who, with his colleague RoyDanforth, has been documenting the shea tree and other fruits for threedecades.
"It is mostly womenand children picking up the fruit and nuts," he explains.
"It is laborious and tedious; Idon't think the people who are doing this are getting a fair deal. I think withproper politics and economic policy and people being honest about what the produceror collector ought to deserve for their work?the price could be raised quite abit. The price would still be very affordable to [customers] in the West."
Appropriate formsof technology that can facilitate the processing of the oil include mills andsolar driers to crush, grind and dry the nuts.
The shea is one ofmany vegetables featured in a set of publications from the US National ResearchCouncil called.Food scientists say the plants are an important alternative during foodshortages.
For moreinformation, go the Lost Crops of Africa Volume II: Vegetables at LostVegetables:
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