Productivity characteristics and development strategies of Sclerocarya birrea in Burkina Faso

Abstract

Sclerocarya birrea is a major component of agroforestry parks of Sudano Sahelian zones, which is exploited by rural populations in Burkina Faso. Recently, Sclerocarya birrea kernel marketing has increasingly developed in Ouagadougou (capital of Burkina Faso). This study aimed at evaluating the productivity, understanding the socio-cultural uses and socio-economic importance of S. birrea among local populations of Burkina Faso. The study has shown that S. birrea is a very fructiferous plant. The number of fruits yielded per tree ranges from 136 to 4256, with mean fruit weight and diameter that are respectively 12.66 and 26.71 mm. The number of kernels per fruit ranged from 1 to 3, with a mean diameter of 4.75 mm. All is not clearly separated to multi-purpose uses. All organs are used in 36 different ways. The pulp and kernels of the fruit are the only by-products marketed by women and mainly girls who dropped out of school.

Keywords: Agroforestry, Burkina Faso, local perception, productivity, socioeconomic species