part 1 - EuroAfrica-ICT

Innovative tools and techniques for sustainable use of the shea tree in Sudano-Sahelian zonePeriod: 01/12/2006 to 30/11/2010Budget from EC: EUR 1 799 972website: inco-innovkar.cirad.frThe shea tree (Vitellaria paradoxa) is an important speciesfor the production of edible vegetable fat and personalcare products, processed from the dried kernel of its fruits.It shows a high potential for income generation and foodsecurity in the Sudano-Sahelian zone. To improve thesustainable production in terms of both quantity and qualityand in order to promote trade with shea products, anintegrated and innovative research approach that couplesbiophysical, biological, chemical and socio-economicmethods will be applied by the INNOVKAR project team. Theimpact of climate change in the shea tree will be studied bymodelling its distribution under climate change scenariosand assessing the resilience of the populations when facedto drought using ecophysiological variables.Coordinator: Dr Jean-Marc BouvetCentre de coopération internationale en rechercheagronomique pour le développement (CIRAD)Research on post-harvest quality control will beundertaken to improve the butter for export markets. Thepatterns and trends of shea commodity chains and theroles of market participants involved in the production,marketing and consumption of the products will also beinvestigated. The results will be synthesised, translated asoperational recommendations and disseminated through aparticipative process.Analyses of the impact of global change on naturalregeneration and genetic diversity will be undertaken, fruitproduction in parklands assessed, as well as predicting thelong-term effects by elaborating forest dynamic models.Both activities will allow the elaboration of a strategy formanaging resources for medium and long term sustainableuse. The valorisation of origins and farmer varieties willbe studied by characterising the genetic resources, usingchemical variables for edible fat and testing their newanti-oxidant properties for the development of personalcare markets.The traceability of the fruit and shea butter at the differentstages of processing, from fruit to butter, will be studiedusing innovative techniques. New methodologies based onnear infrared spectrometry will be tested to improve lowcost, environmentally friendly chemical analyses.Health and public health