Improving Rural Livelihoods through Domestication of Indigenous Fruit Trees in the Parklands of the Sahel - Indigenous Fruit Trees in the Tropics: Domestication, Utilization and Commercialization - page 190

10.2.4 Tamarind ( Tamarindus indica L.)
Tamarind originated in Asia, but it is widely cultivated in much of tropical
Africa. According to Gunasena and Hughes (2000), it is now naturalized in
Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central Africa Republic, Chad, Ethiopia, Gambia,
Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal,
Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda. Farmers commonly cultivate it in parklands in
the arid and semi-arid zones of West Africa.
Although there are many uses for tamarind (Gunasena and Hughes,
2000), few are known or practised in the Sahel. In the Sahel, the fruit pulp is
used primarily for sauces, porridge and juice. In Kenya, the fruit pulp is also
used to tenderize meat (L. Betser, unpublished results; P. Nyadoi, personal
communication), but this practice is unknown in the Sahel. Tamarind can be
used as snacks, in sauces, confectionery, drinks, jam, ice cream, wine, and as a
coffee substitute, a pectin, food stabilizer, dye, animal fodder, glue, edible oil
and medicine (Maundu et al ., 1999).
Tamarind fruit pulp is nutritious, rich in tartaric acid, and used as a natural
preservative in the pickle industry (Nagarajan et al ., 1998). The fruit pulp has
low water content and high levels of protein, carbohydrate and minerals
(potassium, phosphorus, calcium and iron), but it is not a significant source of
vitamins A and C (Gunasena and Hughes, 2000). In eastern and western Africa,
the fruit pulp is eaten raw, but local varieties generally have a strong acidic taste
compared with sweet-tasting cultivars introduced from Thailand. The seeds are a
rich source of protein, and have a favourable amino acid composition.
Tamarind is also a valuable timber species, used in making furniture, tool
handles and charcoal and as fuelwood. In addition, the leaves, flowers, root,
bark, fruit pulp and seeds are an important source of herbal medicines. The
fruit pulp sells for about 400 F CFA per kilogram in Bamako, Mali (M.M. Sidibé
2006, unpublished results).
10.2.5 Karité ( Vitellaria paradoxa C.F. Gaertn.)
Karité is a key economic fruit tree species that is very abundant across a 5000-
km-wide belt of savannah between the equatorial rainforest and the Sahel (Hall
et al ., 1996; Maranz et al ., 2004). Its natural range extends from eastern
Senegal to the high plateau of Uganda. The best growth occurs on farmed
land, where trees benefit from protection against bush fires and livestock (Kater
et al ., 1992). Its economic importance has been analysed by Hall et al . (1996)
and Teklehaimanot (2004), and its nutritional value by Maranz et al . (2004).
The tree's main product is a fat (shea butter) extracted from the nuts. It is
one of the rare local sources of vegetable fat in the region (Kater et al ., 1992).
Shea butter is sold at about 400 F CFA/kg in the Bamako market (M.M. Sidibé,
unpublished results). Becker and Statz (2003) estimated that 650,000 t of karité
nuts were collected throughout Africa in 2000. In addition to local uses, shea
butter is exported for use in chocolate products and the pharmaceutical
industry in European and other markets. Shea exports from Africa are more