ProKarité News
July 2004

Since the ProKarité project was launched at Bamako some three months ago, the project headquarters has been established at the ICRAF-Sahel offices at Samanko, Mali, just outside of Bamako.

Memoranda of Understanding have been established in each of the four project countries, i.e. Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger between ICRAF-Sahel and the national implementing (NARS) institution. National focal instititions (NFIs) have been identified in each country, and Memoranda of Understanding are currently being finalised between ICRAF-Sahel, the NARS and NFI partner institutions.

Project partners include ICRAF, the NARS institutions (i.e. the Institut de Technologie Alimentaire (ITA) of Senegal, the Institut d'Economie Rurale (IER) of Mali, the Institut de Recherche en Sciences Appliqués et Technologiques (IRSAT) of Burkina Faso, and the Institut National de Recherche Agronomique du Niger (INRAN) ; and the corresponding National Focal Institutions (NFIs), i.e. the Projet de Promotion des Micro-Entreprises Rurales (PROMER) of Senegal, the Ministère de Promotion de la Femme, de l’Enfant et de la Famille (MPFEF) of Mali, and the Centre Canadien d’ Étude et de Coopération Internationale (CECI-Burkina and CECI-Niger).

A Regional project Steering Committee (RSC) has been constituted, with representation by each concerned or partner institution, i.e. CFC, FAO-IGOOF, ICRAF-Sahel, ITA, IER, IRSAT, INRAN, CECI, PROMER and the MPFEF, plus representatives of other concerned institutions including the Union Économique et Monétaire Ouest Africaine (UEMOA) the UNCCD, and a limited number of observers from the private sector.

National stakeholder consultation meetings are scheduled for July 2004, in order to identify national implementation teams, finalize national workplans and budgets for the first year of project implementation, and establish national project steering committees.

The Vitellaria Database

As of June, the ProKarité project has been working with the Vitellaria Database developed by Dr. Steve Maranz, on the basis of results from the 1998-2002 INCO Project on Improved Management of the Agroforestry Parklands of sub-Saharan Africa. Much further additional work and samples was contributed from Dr. Maranz and other project partners, resulting in a database of over 700 individual trees across much of the region, with a few significant pockets remaining.

During June and July, 46 samples were collected from 7 locations of western and central Mali, 20 samples were collected from Benin, and 8 samples were collected by project partners in southern Sudan - one of the ‘mystery areas’ in terms of definition of shea provenances.

The Vitellaria Database (www.africanparklands.net/vitellaria.dbase) includes analysis of a uniform set of descriptive laboratory analysis – basically, oil (fatty acid) profile, total unsaponifiable content, and analysis of product parameters of market value. These include SOS fat content (including determination of proxy indicators such as stearic acid), unsaponifiable total and constituents – triterpenes (e.g lupeol, karitene, butyrospermol), catechins, tocopherols, quatriterpenes (e.g. carotene). Fruit pulp analysis was also carried out, possibly related to selection criteria over millennia of semi-domestication of the species.

This basic reference work will be continued and elaborated upon under the ProKarité project, specifically in order to define provenances for product certification in Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, and elsewhere in the region. Interested scientists from across the region are invited to contact ICRAF in order to plan collaborative or parallel activities across the shea zone, and internationally.

Upcoming Events

20 July 2004: Kédougou, Senegal: Senegal national stakeholder consultation meeting (Consortium National du Karité). Organised by the Institut de Technologie Alimentaire (ITA) and PROMER
Contact: Dr. Babacar Ndir, ITA
bndir@ita.sn

4-5 August 2004: Bamako, Mali: Mali national stakeholder consultation meeting (Consortium National du Karité). Organised by the Institut d’Economie Rural (IER) and the MPFEF.
Contact: Dr. Oumou Cisse, IER
otraore@ier.ml

24-25 August 2004: Niamey, Niger: Niger national stakeholder consultation meeting (Consortium National du Karité). Organised by the Institut National de Recherche Agronomique du Niger (INRAN) .
Contact : Dr. Mahamane Larwanou, INRAN
larwanou@caramail.com, larwanou@coraf.org

6-8 October 2004: Bamako, Mali: Consultative Regional Workshop
On Shea Product Quality and Product Certification System Design
Representation from government standardization bodies and research institutions of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Cote d’Ivoire, Central African Republic, Ethiopia, Ghana, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sudan, Togo and Uganda; participation of the private sector including international industry.
Contact: Eliot Masters, Coordinator
eliot.masters@icrisatml.org