What in the World Why shea butter production could dry up
May 5, 2025
Anne Okumu, a BBC Africa journalist, dives into the alarming decline of shea butter production in Uganda. She reveals how the once-lush Mount Kei Central Forest Reserve has fallen prey to deforestation, driven largely by charcoal production. The conversation highlights the deep impact on local women's livelihoods and the wider implications of climate change on this vital resource. Okumu also sheds light on conservation efforts aimed at protecting the precious shea trees and ensuring that this 'women's gold' doesn't disappear.
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Global Shea Butter Market Growth
- Shea butter is a rich silky fat extracted from nuts of trees across the African shea belt.
- It has a rapidly growing global market valued at over $2 billion by 2031.
Shea Butter: Women's Gold in Africa
- Shea butter is known as "women's gold" due to its value and uses in food, cosmetics, and skin treatments.
- It grows naturally across 21 African countries known as the shea belt.
Charcoal Threat to Shea Trees
- In Koboko, Uganda, men cut shea trees for charcoal because it burns brighter and longer.
- This practice depletes shea trees, threatening women's shea butter production and livelihoods.