Author: smh

Training of Trainers Workshop on Baobab Production, Utilization, Marketing and Quality Control procedures in Kilifi County, Kenya

From 2-10 August 2021, our project partner Wild Living Resources conducted a training of trainers workshop in Kilifi county, Kenya, on the production, use, marketing and quality control procedures of the baobab. In two sessions forty participants were trained to learn about traditional and modern products and uses of baobab, post-harvest processing and storage, nutritional value of baobab products and baobab standard operating procedures and quality control procedures. With the training of trainers approach, the expectation is that participants will train additional community members in the long-term in order to increase the baobab farmer community in the area.

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Photo credits: Ben Banda

Update from Baoquality research activities in Sudan

Intra household decision making in baobab (Adansonia digitata L.) products: Commercialization strategies in West and North Kordofan. A research project by Amna Alnour (MSc student from the University of Khartoum, Sudan). 

The main goal of this research is to assess the impact of intra household gendered decision making and access to institutional support on baobab commercialization strategies. For this, Amna has collected primary data in a field survey conducted in February 2021 und June 2021 by using a structured questionnaire, group discussions, interviews and direct observations.

 

Amna in February 2021 when she collected her first data.
Photos by Amna Alnour

The sample size was 230 households, 105 household from North Kordofan state, and 125 household heads from West Kordofan. 


The sampling unit in this study is the person who collects baobab or has someone at home collecting. 


So far the data collected was subjected to descriptive statistics to describe the socioeconomic profile of household heads (e.g. gender, age, educational level, or marital status), cash income from different activities (e.g. baobab resources, agriculture, animal production, wage labour, etc.), resource ownership, livelihood assets, and livelihood strategies. Further, to allow for comparative analysis, data relating to the quantities of Baobab products collected and sold was collected.


Baobab fruit

Baobab tree with flowers

This is in one of the villages in West Kordofan the student, Amna, visited.


  • Baobab at the village

  • Amna talking to the locals under the baobab.

  • Baobab flower

  • Baobab during harvest season

  • This is the new generation of baobab (beginning of August)

HACCP development for baobab pulp value chain in Kenya

HACCP, which stands for ‘Hazard analysis and critical control points’, is a preventive approach commonly applied in the food industry. It aims to enhance food safety by identifying biological, chemical, and physical hazards in the production process that can cause the finished product to be unsafe and designs measures to reduce these risks to a safe level. A HACCP analysis was developed for the production of baobab fruit pulp in Kenya together with the enterprise Vokenel Ltd.

 Impressions from the training activities
with the Vokenel Enterprises LTD production team.

Hazard identification through the value chain.

The HACCP team went through the whole production process in order to identify the hazards during the collection of baobab fruit, the storage, and the processing of fruit to pulp and seed and update quality control procedures accordingly. 

Storage of the baobab fruit

Cracking of the baobab fruits after the training

Extracting baobab fruit pulp at Vokenel Ltd after the training

Photos by Margret James (MSc student JKUAT, Kenya)

Fruit sampling activities in Mangochi, Malawi

Baobab fruits have been sampled in Mangochi, Malawi to be able to check different quality parameters during the ripening process of the fruit. In total three harvesting trips were conducted (one per month) facilitated by project partner Zankhalango Association. Initially 15 trees were selected, from the ten most suitable trees fruit samples were collected.  

The harvesting starts with the sampling of the fruits from the huge baobab trees. The next step is to clean the fruits´ shell from all dirt and hairs, so that the pulp won’t be contaminated. Afterwards the pulp is extracted from the fruit and milled to powder as you can observe in the video. This powder is the basis for pulp testing in the laboratory.