Exploring local knowledge and preferences for shea (Vitellaria paradoxa) ethnovarieties in Southwest Burkina Faso through a gender and ethnic lens

In Africa’s ‘shea belt’, the shea tree (Vitellaria paradoxa) plays a central role in rural livelihoods and ecosystems. Yet, it faces many threats. The aim of this study is to examine local people’s classification systems and preferences for shea ethnovarieties in Burkina Faso to support domesticatio...

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Autores principales: Karambiri, Mawa, Elias, Marlène, Vinceti, B., Grosse, A.
Formato: Journal Article
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: Informa UK Limited 2017
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/77744
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author Karambiri, Mawa
Elias, Marlène
Vinceti, B.
Grosse, A.
author_browse Elias, Marlène
Grosse, A.
Karambiri, Mawa
Vinceti, B.
author_facet Karambiri, Mawa
Elias, Marlène
Vinceti, B.
Grosse, A.
author_sort Karambiri, Mawa
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description In Africa’s ‘shea belt’, the shea tree (Vitellaria paradoxa) plays a central role in rural livelihoods and ecosystems. Yet, it faces many threats. The aim of this study is to examine local people’s classification systems and preferences for shea ethnovarieties in Burkina Faso to support domestication efforts that respect local priorities. Work was carried out among the Bobo, Sambla, Mosse and FulBe ethnic groups in two villages in south-west Burkina Faso. Participatory characterization and ranking matrices were used with 10 groups segregated by gender and ethnicity to understand if knowledge and preferences for shea ethnovarieties vary between gender and ethnic groups. Results show a general agreement across groups about top-cited ethnovariety names, characteristics and key criteria defining the classification system. Participants identified a total of 25 shea ethnovarieties according to 11 primary fruit and nut variants. The number of ethnovarieties cited varied slightly across groups, with greater consistency across ethnicities than across gender groups. Each ethnic and gender group identified certain ethnovarieties not cited by their ethnic or gender counterparts. Two ethnovarieties – ‘small shea fruit’ and ‘big shea fruit’ – were preferred across groups. The study highlights the value of gender-sensitive participatory research for understanding local botanical knowledge and preferences.
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spelling CGSpace777442025-11-12T05:38:04Z Exploring local knowledge and preferences for shea (Vitellaria paradoxa) ethnovarieties in Southwest Burkina Faso through a gender and ethnic lens Karambiri, Mawa Elias, Marlène Vinceti, B. Grosse, A. vitellaria paradoxa gender indigenous knowledge ethnobotany classification participatory approaches forestry In Africa’s ‘shea belt’, the shea tree (Vitellaria paradoxa) plays a central role in rural livelihoods and ecosystems. Yet, it faces many threats. The aim of this study is to examine local people’s classification systems and preferences for shea ethnovarieties in Burkina Faso to support domestication efforts that respect local priorities. Work was carried out among the Bobo, Sambla, Mosse and FulBe ethnic groups in two villages in south-west Burkina Faso. Participatory characterization and ranking matrices were used with 10 groups segregated by gender and ethnicity to understand if knowledge and preferences for shea ethnovarieties vary between gender and ethnic groups. Results show a general agreement across groups about top-cited ethnovariety names, characteristics and key criteria defining the classification system. Participants identified a total of 25 shea ethnovarieties according to 11 primary fruit and nut variants. The number of ethnovarieties cited varied slightly across groups, with greater consistency across ethnicities than across gender groups. Each ethnic and gender group identified certain ethnovarieties not cited by their ethnic or gender counterparts. Two ethnovarieties – ‘small shea fruit’ and ‘big shea fruit’ – were preferred across groups. The study highlights the value of gender-sensitive participatory research for understanding local botanical knowledge and preferences. 2017-01-02 2016-11-15T12:17:28Z 2016-11-15T12:17:28Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/77744 en Open Access application/pdf Informa UK Limited Karambiri, M.; Elias, M.; Vinceti, B.; Grosse, A. (2017) Exploring local knowledge and preferences for shea (Vitellaria paradoxa) ethnovarieties in Southwest Burkina Faso through a gender and ethnic lens. Forests, Trees and Livelihoods 26(1) p. 13-28 ISSN: 1472-8028
spellingShingle vitellaria paradoxa
gender
indigenous knowledge
ethnobotany
classification
participatory approaches
forestry
Karambiri, Mawa
Elias, Marlène
Vinceti, B.
Grosse, A.
Exploring local knowledge and preferences for shea (Vitellaria paradoxa) ethnovarieties in Southwest Burkina Faso through a gender and ethnic lens
title Exploring local knowledge and preferences for shea (Vitellaria paradoxa) ethnovarieties in Southwest Burkina Faso through a gender and ethnic lens
title_full Exploring local knowledge and preferences for shea (Vitellaria paradoxa) ethnovarieties in Southwest Burkina Faso through a gender and ethnic lens
title_fullStr Exploring local knowledge and preferences for shea (Vitellaria paradoxa) ethnovarieties in Southwest Burkina Faso through a gender and ethnic lens
title_full_unstemmed Exploring local knowledge and preferences for shea (Vitellaria paradoxa) ethnovarieties in Southwest Burkina Faso through a gender and ethnic lens
title_short Exploring local knowledge and preferences for shea (Vitellaria paradoxa) ethnovarieties in Southwest Burkina Faso through a gender and ethnic lens
title_sort exploring local knowledge and preferences for shea vitellaria paradoxa ethnovarieties in southwest burkina faso through a gender and ethnic lens
topic vitellaria paradoxa
gender
indigenous knowledge
ethnobotany
classification
participatory approaches
forestry
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/77744
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