Shea Butter Production as an Income Generating Activity for Women in Rural Africa: Solving the “Paradox of paradoxa”

Dr. Julia Bello-Bravo

Dr. Peter Lovett

• The shea tree (Vitellaria paradoxa ssp.

Paradoxa) populates 21 sub-Saharan African

countries, around 3.7 million square km of

semi-arid zone of the sub-Saharan African

Savannah

http://beadforlife.org/blog/beadforlife-shea-nilotica/

• The shea tree (Vitellaria paradoxa ssp.

Paradoxa) populates 21 sub-Saharan African

countries, around 3.7 million km of semi-arid

zone of the sub-Saharan African Savannah

• It is under the domain of women (4 million +

women harvest export crop)

http://rendezvous.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/12/after-fair-trade-coffee-fair-trade-shea/?_r=0

• The shea tree (Vitellaria paradoxa ssp.

Paradoxa) populates 21 sub-Saharan African

countries, around 3.7 million km of semi-arid

zone of the sub-Saharan African Savannah

• It is under the domain of women (4 million +

women harvest export crop)

• It also provides an ingredient to the multi-

billion dollar cosmetics and confectionary

market

http://www.paradisecosmetics.com/Bakery/Bakery_Ingredients-olive-butter.htm http://www.watradehub.com/products/shea

• Yet paradoxically, in terms of international

trade the women collectors are invisible and

disconnected from global supply chain

Courtesy of the Global Shea Alliance (2012)

What is the “Paradox of paradoxa” (Stedman & Lovett, 2010)?

• The majority of global [western] knowledge associates shea butter as being handmade and bought, at fair prices, from African village women before use in luxury cosmetics.

What is the “Paradox of paradoxa” (Stedman & Lovett, 2010)?

• The majority of global [western] knowledge associates shea butter as being handmade and bought, as fair prices, from African village women before use in luxury cosmetics.

• Whereas, in reality more than 90% of all shea destined for foreign markets is locally traded from the villages simply as low quality shea kernels that go to industrial processing plants.

What is the “Paradox of paradoxa” (Stedman & Lovett, 2010)?

Paradox of paradoxa

For those consumers aware of shea, it has been estimated that approximately 90% think their shea butter is hand crafted

However…

90% of actual international trade in nuts

…whether in chocolate or body butters…

are processed in an industrial manner

What this means?

• Millions upon millions of women collectors have no visibility, no voice, no information, and no opportunity to change what they need to do to

increase their income or, to influence the shea value chain in any shape or form

• These women are completely disconnected and dis-empowered from the shea industry

Background Information on Shea

• Shea harvesting, processing, extraction and commercialization are still exclusively a female activity

• Participation of women in increasing the value of their shea products for the international shea value chain has the potential to help them increase their incomes

Background Information on Shea

• Women’s income from shea stored kernels and shea butter is used to buy other goods for their livelihood and to invest in their children’s schooling

• Female contribution to household income – empowers women – giving them more influence and preferences over

expenditures.

From Local to International Requirements in the Shea Trade

• Over the past decade there has been an increasing demand for shea in the international marketplace – For use in cocoa butter equivalents (CBEs),

in chocolates produced in Europe, • Typical 100g bar of milk-chocolate contains 5%

non-cocoa fats • 20% of these fats are shea stearin (1% of bar)

– For use in cosmetics

Shea as a Commodity

• Shea is an attractive commodity for the international markets in Europe, U.S. and Japan

Shea as a Commodity

• Shea is an attractive commodity for the international markets in Europe, U.S. and Japan

• African women could have the opportunity to participate in the commercialization of shea in the international marketplace and obtain higher prices for their product and labor

Shea as a Commodity

• Shea is an attractive commodity for the international markets in Europe, U.S. and Japan

• African women could have the opportunity to participate in the commercialization of shea in the international marketplace and obtain higher prices for their product and labor

• Need to understand the demands of international marketplace

– But it is still a challenge due to some bottlenecks in the beginning of the value chain.

Women and Shea • In the case of shea, women participate in the

market by selling the raw shea nuts or the processed shea butter.

Women and Shea • In the case of shea, women participate in the

market by selling the raw shea nuts or the processed shea butter.

• Some very poor women need to sell the kernels right after harvesting at low prices in order to buy what is necessary for the agriculture season.

Women and Shea • In the case of shea, women participate in the

market by selling the raw shea nuts or the processed shea butter.

• Some very poor women need to sell the kernels right after harvesting at low prices in order to buy what is necessary for the agriculture season.

• Other women stored the nuts and process at a later time.

Shea Nuts

International Versus Local Shea Markets

• Women often understand the needs of the local market for the processing of the shea nuts very well

• However, international demands requires – different quality – higher standards – more consistent products – different demands as compared to the local

marketplace

Shea Cream for the Local Market

Problems • If and when women do not have access to the

information that will allow them to produce a product that is consistent with the needs of the international marketplace – The result is that women cannot compete and have access to a

fair price for their skills and labor

• Moreover, women who work in rural areas have little or no access to information that could benefit them – As to produce products of greater value early in the value chain – Allow them to work collectively to capture more value in steps

further on in the value chain

Knowledge and the Shea Market • However, women need information about

best practices for storage if they are not going to process the nuts right away

• They also need information about the fair price to sell – the kernels – the processed shea butter in the local markets – internationally to the traders

• In any case, women need access to information and educational materials about better practices that can have a positive impact on the first steps of the value chain

International Markets Bring New Demands

• In the international marketplace, there are three factors that can reduce the value of shea butter for those that use this material in food and cosmetics:

(1) high levels of free fatty acids (FFA) (2) aromatic hydrocarbons in the shea (3) high levels of peroxides

R4D – A New Technique for High

Quality Shea • This approach results in

(1) low levels of free fatty acids (FFA)

(2) no aromatic hydrocarbons (3) low levels of peroxides

How can this innovation be made

available to women?

– Very new technique

– Many women are low literate learners

– Many languages

– Printing and distribution of posters in many languages will be costly – where will the money come from?

– Even this poster was displayed in a village where few women spoke English

– Will this be one more technique that will be inaccessible the target audience?

Meeting International Demands: Education as a Starting Point

• Educating women in an improved processing technique becomes a logical step in the value chain

• Education can potentially result in increased income for those at the beginning of a value chain

• Increase the available high quality starting materials for those organizations that exists later in the value chains

How?

• How to provide useful information and knowledge to women…

who live across 21 different countries,

who speak divergent languages,

are often low literate learners,

many of them live in villages,

…in this improved technique?

Identifying the Bottlenecks • The first critical bottleneck in the value chain occurs in

the storage of dry kernels or in the process of shea butter – Properly stored shea nuts more desirable in the local and

international marketplace

• Even if women stored and processed the nuts properly there is still some gaps that requires access to information – the demands of the standard quality international market

– not following these standards the price is likely to be lower for women labor and skills

Identifying the Bottlenecks • The first critical bottleneck in the value chain occurs in

the storage of dry kernels or in the process of shea butter – Properly stored shea nuts are more desirable in the local and

international marketplace

• Even if women stored and processed the nuts properly there is still some gaps that requires access to information – the demands of the standard quality international market

– not following these standards the price is likely to be lower for women labor and skills

Identifying the Bottlenecks • The first critical bottleneck in the value chain occurs in

the storage of dry kernels or in the process of shea butter – Properly stored shea nuts are more desirable in the local and

international marketplace

• Even if women stored and processed the nuts properly there is still some gaps that requires access to information – the demands of the standard quality international market

– not following these standards the price is likely to be lower for women labor and skills

Identifying the Bottlenecks • The first critical bottleneck in the value chain occurs in

the storage of dry kernels or in the process of shea butter – Properly stored shea nuts are more desirable in the local and

international marketplace

• Even if women stored and processed the nuts properly there is still some gaps that requires access to information – the demands of the standard quality in the international

market

– not following these standards the price is likely to be lower for women labor and skills

Solutions: Use of ICT in Enabling Empowerment of Women in a Value Chain

• Scientific Animations Without Borders

(SAWBO) has developed approaches to try to alleviate this problem of taking R4D innovations into the field in a cost effective manner

– in local languages

– without the need for literacy

– these animations can be deployed on video capable devices by in country groups.

Scientific Animations Without Borders (SAWBO)

• Diversity of content

• Numerous languages

• Many different collaborative groups

• Materials are easily downloaded

• Can be used by many different educational groups

• Partnerships with on the ground groups

Dr. Peter Lovett • Expert in Shea in West

Africa

• Part of the Global Shea Alliance

• Consultant for USAID funded West Africa Trade Hub

• Approached SAWBO to create a Shea video on this new innovation

• He saw the potential value of SAWBO videos in educational steps in the value chain of shea

Video

completed in

mid-September

of 2013

For release in

fall of 2013

New Version of Video – Next Steps?

Next steps

– Place the video into new language variants

– Test the impact of women on learning the new process

– Do women adopt this new approach?

Other Solutions • One opportunity for women is to organize

themselves in cooperatives – to buy and share technology

– that could facilitate access to international markets

– higher prices for the final product

• Associations and cooperatives would allow them to have better access to credit and training

• Lastly, women organized in cooperatives will have better access to market information that would link them with international markets

Why?

• Potential higher incomes, e.g.

– School fees paid

– Improved family nutrition

– Better housing

Thank you