Bush mango (Irvingia spp.): forest and on-farm resource availability and market chains in the Southwest Region of Cameroon

Abstract

Bush mango (Irvingia gabonensis and I. wombulu) is one of the most important non-timber forest products in Cameroon. Recently, research has shown that bush mango kernels can reduce obesity, control appetite, and reduce fat and cholesterol. In view with the expected increase of the demand linked to these recent results, we studied here the present condition of the resource and the market chains in the southwest Region of Cameroon. The study was conducted in 2013 in four forest areas and involved two syndicates of bush mango trading. Pre-tested questionnaires were administered to 180 collectors and 20 traders of bush mango. Results show that fruit collection was carried out both in the wild and on farms with dominant use of family labor. Processing of the product was done manually by traditional techniques and used as thickener in soups or as paste. Traders used different measuring units to purchase bush mango kernels from village, city and trans-border markets. The prices of the products vary with season, availability of the resource, dryness and appearance of the kernels, method of processing and bargaining power of the collectors and traders. They are also processed into cubes, packaged and exported to other countries. In this study, 56% of the collectors had ventured into cultivation to ensure the availability of the resource but so far, only 34% of respondents had already collected bush mango from trees they had planted. The use of a standard measurement and improved processing equipment and techniques are recommended to enhance commerce and empower both collectors and traders.

Keywords:

• Bush mango value chain
• collectors
• Irvingia
• processing
• resource availability
• traders
• tree planting

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge CIFOR for financial support. We sincerely appreciate the relentless cooperation of the chiefs and respondents in the survey sites, the traders in the bush mango syndicates as well as the Forestry and Council officials. Special thanks go to two anonymous reviewers and to the Editor who helped to considerably improve the manuscript.

Notes

1. In this article, ‘natives’ refers to people living in their village of origin.