• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Allanblackia Oil to Boost Rural Incomes

Posted on: Tuesday, 16 August 2005, 03:01 CDT

Ghana's rainforests are home to Allanblackia trees whose seeds produce an edible oil. Extracting and processing this oil is the aim of the Novella Project whose partners are the State secretariat for Economic Affaires in Switzerland (SECO), the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), UNDP, the Netherlands Development Organisation (SNV), local Ghanaian institutions such as FORIG, ICA and Technoserve, the World Conservation Union (IUCN) and Unilever. The project will develop practical guidelines to ensure that the oil is extracted and processed in a way that is socially equitable and environmentally sustainable.

Allanblackia is commonly found growing in the forests of tropical Africa..

Ghana is the first country to process Allanblackia seeds - from gathering, crushing and through to the production of margarine. Allanblackia trees, of which there are nine very similar species, occur from Sierra Leone to Tanzania. Most attention is currently focused on Allanbackia parviflora (Upper Guinea, and Ghana westwards); A. floribunda (from Nigeria to DR Congo and Angola); and A. stuhlmannii and A. ulugurensis which occur in East Africa, in the mountains of Eastern Tanzania.

The tree is common in the wild, and is frequently used as a shade tree for cocoa. However, as hybrid cocoa - which thrives without shade trees - is increasingly replacing the traditional varieties, such shade trees are disappearing from farms. Hopefully the Novella initiative is arriving just in time to save significant numbers of Allanblackia shade trees, as the market for oil provides the incentive to save them.

Allanblackia casts only a minimal shade with its narrow crown, and is sometimes said to be hard to remove from a farm as it resprouts quickly. It is said to be fairly tolerant of fire, and some farmers in semi-deciduous forest areas value it for minimising fire risk on the farm in the dry season, as it keeps the ground moist.

Other trees retained on the same cocoa farms for their fruits include Cola nitda (Kola nut) and Irvingia wombulu (Abebsebuo), both of which are collected for local trade and some even end up being exported to countries like Nigeria.

Traditional uses

The oil is obtained from the seeds of the fruits. In Ghana (and elsewhere) the oil has traditionally had a number of uses which persist today. The oil is used for cooking and for making soap, similar to Elaeis palm oil, although Allanblackia oil has a higher melting point, and in cooking it can congeal before the food is eaten. Some people like this, others don't, so it is often mixed with palm kernel oil.

Hunters also appreciate the tree, as the fallen fruits are very attractive to numerous animals, such as the brushtailed porcupine and various rodents, and so they either place their snares or wait around the trees, or remove the fruits for use elsewhere as bait.

Generally, the oil has been used mostly in the home, or shared with friends and relatives, although, in the past, it was marketed more widely. When market stalls in SW. Ghana were monitored in 2003- 5 only palm kernel and coconut oils were available.

The Novella Partnership

The partners of the Novella Africa initiative come from the private and public sectors and they bring funding to the project from different sources. This is the first time that a public- private partnership has been set up with the aim to improve sustainable development.

The partners in the project are undertaking different responsibilities. Unilever will be obtaining the raw material from sustainable sources, and ensuring the good quality of the oil. It will also make the business profitable to all involved, especially for the growers. The financial contribution from SECO will enable IUCN, through the Forestry Research Institute of Ghana, the Institute of Cultural Affairs and Technoserve, to ensure that the project is environmentally sustainable, socially equitable and economically sound.

Research will be the responsibility of ICRAF, and this will cover the propagation of trees, the introduction of novel agroforestry systems and related development activities leading to more sustainable and productive use of land. Both, IUCN and ICRAF, will deal with ecological and biological aspects of seed harvesting. This includes making sure that the wild-harvest or small scale production is done in an environmental and socially sustainable manner, and will not have a negative impact on forest or marginalized sections such as the poor, women or children.

SNV's role is to build up the supply chain by improving the expertise of all the commercial and non-commercial partners. SNV will carry out socioeconomic research and will monitor and evaluate the project. It will also help to form and support the establishment of the so-called Allanblackia Board. UNDP will support the Novella venture through its Growing Sustainable Business initiative which includes research, technical assistance, and access to finance.

Beneficiaries

The overall objective of the project is to ensure that the seeds are harvested, processed and traded in a sustainable way and that the benefits are shared equally among all the people involved.

A close-up of the Allanblackia fruit.

The project's target group and main beneficiaries at the local level are poor rural communities, who are the main collectors and sellers of Allanblackia seeds for processing into oil. Other beneficiaries, at the local level, include small-scale private sector companies, haulage contractors, nurserymen, input suppliers and millers.

At the national level, the aim is to develop a new export commodity which will add value to Ghana's national resources and further panAfrican economic development through expected south- south markets, poverty reduction and sustainable forest management.

Young Allanblackia seedlings in a FORIG nursery..

At the global level beneficiaries include consumers. By seeking to ensure that supply of edible oil or edible oil-based products is from sustainable sources, the project addresses concerns raised by consumers and retailers such as Migros and other Swiss business interests. Aware of the effects that large-scale monoculture palm oil plantations can have on the local biodiversity, this project has the potential to help conserve the tropical forests of Africa.

Processing

There are two sources of seed - from wild trees in natural forest or from naturally regenerated trees on farms. Female trees (approx 50% of population) have to be identified and then fallen fruit is harvested daily over a 1O-20 day period per tree. The seeds are extracted from the fruit and taken home for drying. Up to 300 fruit may be collected from a single tree although 100-150 fruit per tree is more common. Individual fruit weigh between 1.2 to 4.0 kg and may contain 25 to 40 seeds. Air-dried seed from approximately three fruit provide one kilogram of seed which yields on average 35 per cent oil. A farmer can earn as much as US$ 3.50 per annum from one tree.

Propagation

Nurseries will be established to produce seedlings, ready for planting. For the production of seedlings, the team will actively involve and build small-scale rural nurseries. For the production of cuttings, several medium scale nurseries will be used or established. During the start-up years, nurseries will receive a volume and price guarantee. At the same time, support staff will be trained to help farmers adopt the essential skills in planting and caring for the trees.

To encourage farmers to plant Allanblackia trees the project will present clear cut business plans which will indicate the profitability of planting and harvesting. Plant material will be subsidised and there will be a fund to compensate any loss of income while the trees are maturing. There will also be legal back-up to ensure that farmers actually benefit from their investment (e.g. contract with land owner).

Indirectly, the harvesting of nuts and oil production will be encouraged by:

1. assisting participants in the chain to establish national Allanblackia Boards, promoting their interests in the supply chain;

2. continued information sharing and stimulating fair and transparent business dealings only.

To give an indication of the scale, in 2006 a total of 300 tonnes oil will be produced through wild harvesting, amounting to $98,000 additional rural income and $59,000 additional national income. By 2011, increased oil production will improve rural incomes by an additional $3 million, rising to $20 million in 2015. National income will receive a boost of $2 million, rising to $12 million.

Unilever will guarantee to buy Allanblackia seeds at an agreed quality and price level. This commitment will require the willingness of communities to implement the guidelines for sustainable harvesting of seeds. Unilever will extract the oil.

The future

It is essential for the long term success and impact of the project to establish small-scale rural plantations at an early stage - initially this will be a few extra trees integrated into the current agroforestry mix. The tree regenerates in such situations when not weeded, so a minor change in attitude might in itself be enough to increase the abundance of fruit bearing trees in the next 10-30 years.

Allanblackia seeds drying in the sun.

However, various proactive initiatives, both grass-roots and top down are starting up to promote planting, including the probable development of better hybrids, and grafting procedures, that might bear fruit in four \to six rather than 10-15 years. These plantations will enable farmers to increase their revenue per acre, as well as upgrading their agricultural practices towards a more sustainable agroforestry business.

This is a major transformation that leads to many environmental advantages above the current agricultural practices. Cutting of trees will be discouraged; planting of trees, allanblackia and others, will be stimulated. To that end, local nurseries will be supported to raise trees. Farmers and communities will be supported to plant and raise them. Through the development of this product, the importance of biodiversity for sustainable livelihoods in this area will be demonstrated.

The supply chain is now up and running in Ghana and Tanzania. In Nigeria the project has started and a fourth country (Cameroon) is expected to be involved in the future.

For more information contact Virpi Stucki, The Forest Conservation Programme, IUCN - The World Conservation Union, Rue Mauverney 28, Gland 1196, Switzerland. Fax: +41 (22) 999-0265: e- mail: virpi.stucki@iucn.org; web site: www.iucn.org/forest

Copyright Research Information Ltd. Jun 2005

Source: Appropriate Technology

More News in this Category