Forest Products, Livelihoods and Conservation

Chapter 6

The contribution of shea butter

(Vitellaria paradoxa C.F. Gaertner)

to local livelihoods in Benin

Kathrin Schreckenberg^1

ABSTRACT

The data for this paper were collected in 1992/3 as part of a larger Ph.D.

study investigating the supply and demand of non-timber forest products in

the Bassila region of Benin. Shea (Vitellaria paradoxa C.F. Gaertner) is the

principal tree component of the agroforestry parklands in the region and, in

spite of changes in agricultural practices, will continue to be so for the near

future. Shea butter is a staple component of the local diet and the kernels are

a significant source of income for women. They have been traded internationally

for over a century for use in the food (margarine and chocolate) industry.

Changes in consumption patterns and the availability of alternative, more

reliable and less arduous, income-earning activities suggest that local interest

in shea may decline in the long-term. This may be counteracted, however, by

increased interest internationally as shea butter gains a growing foothold in

the cosmetics market, leading to greater demand for kernels and, particularly,

locally produced butter. No specific policy interventions are required to ensure

that shea remains an important livelihood option for local women in the case

study area.

INTRODUCTION

Why the interest in shea?

Known as karité in French, the shea tree (Vitellaria paradoxa C.F. Gaertner) is

the most common species in the parklands of semi-arid West Africa (Breman

and Kessler 1995). The edible butter made from its kernels was reported to be

Common names Part of the Management Degree of Scale of Geographic

resource used transformation trade range

Shea, Karité Kernels Wild/Managed High International Large

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