The nuts are found in an almond-like fruit. It is dried, ground to powder, then boiled in water to let out a highly-concentrated butter. The substance rises to the top, solidifies, and is then milled and filtered to extract the unrefined Shea butter. It has an off-white color, frictionless feel, and easy-grip texture that has made it a valuable cosmetic ingredient for centuries.

Uses of Shea Butter

It helps stimulate collagen production for the treatment of wrinkles, scars, and burns.

• It can be used to moisturize dry scalp and stimulate hair growth
• It moisturizes and protects the skin from the sun’s harsh UV rays by creating a mild natural sunscreen
• Shea butter is used as a cooking butter
• It is used to treat eczema, burns, dry skin, acne, and dermatitis
• Other common uses of Shea butter include candle-making, cosmetic production, and in waterproofing wax.

Where Shea Butter is Found in Africa

Today, Shea butter is found in Nigeria, Ghana, Benin, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Cameroon, Chad, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Guinea Bissau, Uganda, Togo, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Niger, Mali, Sierra Leon, South Sudan, Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, and Guinea. Of these countries, Nigeria, Ghana, and Uganda are the largest producers of Shea butter in Africa.

Ghana and Nigeria cultivate the species called Vitellaria Paradoxa while Uganda cultivates Vitellaria Nilotica. Both species can grow as high as 50fts and takes 40 to 50 years of maturity before producing Shea nuts. The Shea tree grows wild across over 1.5 million square miles of the Savannah and can remain productive for up to 200 years.

About 600,000 tonnes of Shea butter is produced in Africa per annum. The Shea butter produced in West Africa is denser while that produced in East Africa is creamier. Also, West African Shea butter has a higher concentration of vitamin A, compared to that of East Africa.

According to FAO Stat, Nigeria was the largest producer of Shea nuts in 2017. Despite it produces about 370,000 metric tonnes per annum, only about 20,000 metric tonnes is processed into butter. Although most Shea butter produced in Nigeria is for domestic consumption, there is undocumented trade of Shea nuts across to Ghana, Togo, and Benin. On the other hand, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Ghana are the largest exporting countries of Shea nuts.

The global Shea butter market is estimated to reach $1.74 billion by 2025. For Africa to maximize its involvement in this market, there is a need for standard Shea processing methods and facilities, best practices awareness amongst farmers, and adequate documentation of all exported Shea butter across the continent. Most importantly, these governments need to heavily investment to harness the full potential of Shea butter in the international market.

Written by Joy Ejere Uche

The post Where this is found in Africa: Shea Butter  appeared first on MTFC | Meet The Farmers Conference - Nov 2019 - Dubai UAE.

Photo Credit: Thisdaylive.com

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) has announced a US$1m project to open financial services to the East Africa’s youths involved in the agriculture sector.

As indicated by IFAD, the project is in accordance with the organisation’s ambitious expect to extend financial inclusion to East Africa and to end poverty, hunger and food insecurity in Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda.

The venture apparently benefits around 10,000 young farmers living in rural areas in the countries, said IFAD.

Elizabeth Ssendiwala, gender and youth coordinator at IFAD for East and Southern Africa, said that the focal point of the project is to open the capability of rural youth to accomplish a sustainable growth.

As around 70 per cent of youth living in the rural parts in the region, the project is required to help them taking up agricultural for the general improvement in the sector.

Elizabeth Nsimadala, president of the Eastern African Farmers Federation (EAFF), stated that the new initiative is set to provide opportunities to the youth to drive new agriculture and agribusiness agenda.

Susan Koech, principal secretary for the East African Community (EAC), said that the agriculture sector in the East African region can create millions of jobs and help reduce migrations of African youth to foreign countries, thus shifting the region from net importer of food to net exporter.

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The post IFAD Announces $1m Project to Increase Agriculture in East Africa appeared first on MTFC | Meet The Farmers Conference - Nov 2019 - Dubai UAE.