Transcript Presentation

ENDOGENOUS KNOWLEDGE ON
TAMARIND (TAMARINDUS INDICA L.) IN
NOTHERN BENIN
A.B. Fandohan, A.E Assogbadjo & B. Sinsin
Background
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There are increasing interests on wild fruit trees as key
elements in strategies building to alleviate severe
malnutrition and poverty in developing countries.
New initiatives in agro-forestry are seeking to integrate
into tropical farming systems indigenous trees whose
products have traditionally been gathered from natural
forests (Leakey & Simons, 1998).
This is of a great importance as far as domesticating trees
or ex situ conservation is seen as a key process in
reduction of anthropogenic pressure on forest wild fruit
trees species.
En, PhD programs on multipurpose trees of Benin have
been initiated.
Background
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The first step of such studies is to document local
knowledge on targeted species as a proof of both needs
to conservation and potential to domestication.
Here the case of tamarind (Tamarindus indica L.) is
addressed.
In tamarind studies, a still undocumented matter is also
the relation between tamarind and termite or ant as the
tree is said to be commonly seen on those social insects’
buildings.
Hypotheses have attributed the phenomenon to the soil
requirements of tamarind trees (El-Siddig et al., 2006).
However these hypotheses have never been tested.
Gathering information on how does local people interpret
this phenomenon could then help for a better scientific
understanding.
Research questions
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What are the different products and uses of
tamarind?
What are the diversity traits and principal
threats to the species?
To what do local communities attribute the
relation between tamarind trees and social
insects?
Material & methods
Material & methods
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A survey based on a semi structured group-interviews was
realized in the 18 principal villages of Karimama district
surrounding the W National Park.
The sample was based on the ethnical groups and their
related proportion in the district.
Overall, 171 informants of which 63.16% Dendi, 16.96 %
Fulfuldé, 16.96 % Gourmantché and 2.92 % Haussa have
been questioned.
Quantitative analyses have been made using SPSS
ordination statistical packages. Thus, the response rate
per information has been calculated using the following
formula:
S
F  100 
N
Material & methods
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To correlate informants responses related to tamarindmounds association with field observations, an inventory
has been made in the species’ major habitats (gallery
forests savannah woodlands and farmlands). 130 trees
have been surveyed per habitat type. Data related to
presence/absence of termite mound or ant hill under each
recorded tamarind tree have been collected.
Results & discussions
TAMARIND UTILIZATION
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Tamarind plays an important role in local communities’
livelihoods as showed by its many uses.
Domains of it use cover traditherapy, nutrition, occultism
and pastoralism.
About 75 % of the recorded uses are shared by the
surveyed ethnical groups.
Most commonly the fruit (pulp) is used to make
beverages, to treat malaria, as laxative and purgative and
seemed to be the only one part sold.
The bark is most frequently use as a medicine in hardly
curable wounds treatment while the leaves are used to
make porridge and as antibiotic.
Results & discussion
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The wood is used to make agricultural tools. Some of the
uses as far as that of the wood for cultural flagellation and
in young cows weaning are restricted to Fulani’s ethnical
groups.
The recorded uses of tamarind overlap with results
obtained later (Arbonnier, 2002; El-Siddig et al., 2006).
In spite of those uses, the species is still underexploited
and remains unsupported by a formal trade network.
In Karimama district where people are facing severe
poverty and malnutrition (LARES, 2001) a better
valorisation of tamarind could help to overcome the essue.
Results & discussion
DIVERSITY TRAITS AND THEATS
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According to all of the respondents, there are no particular
tree-to-tree traits used to classify tamarind individuals.
However, a high diversity in seeds’ colour, size and shape,
the cracked aspect of tamarind trunk in open ecosystems
in contrast with that of gallery forests have been
mentioned.
Gourmantché informants (16.96 % of respondents) have
also indicated a slight difference between gallery forest
trees’ pulp taste (less sour) and that of savannah
woodlands and farmlands.
Tamarind mature individuals were feared and sacred in all
of the surveyed ethnical groups and sometime chosen as
privileged places for occult ceremonies. This long ago has
protected the species from systematic logging when
farmers cleaned lands for agricultural purposes.
Results & discussion
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Unfortunately, nowadays, Karimama district’s inhabitants
are facing a chronic lack of cultivable lands. Thus,
tamarind individuals are not anymore systematically
spared.
Among anthropogenic activities and practices, mature
trees mutilating for the species’ diverse uses, seedling
removing and, fire and knocking down when cleaning
lands are the principal threats to the species. This has
contributed to an extreme scarcity of the species
regeneration.
The negative impact of mutilations and agricultural
practices on tree species long term survival has been
proven (Omeja et al., 2005). Such a tree may need more
interests on its ecology, diversity and domestication for its
conservation and enhanced utilization.
Results & discussion
PERCEPTION OF TAMARIND-INSECTS ASSOCIATION
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It has generally been observed under tamarind trees
shadow a termite mound or ant hill alive, abandoned or
being rebuilt. Results have suggested the presence of
social insect building under tamarind to be frequent in
open ecosystems and rare in gallery forests.
According to 98.8 % of the informants the building of
mounds or hills generally start when the tamarind tree
reaches the adult stage. This means the presence of
tamarind trees is anterior to that of mounds.
about 15 % of respondents (aged persons) have also
attributed the phenomenon to an affinity of those social
insects to tamarind trees due to the particular humidity
under the tree’s crown year-round.
Results & discussions
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In addition, field observations have revealed that both
termites and ants feed on tamarind fruits and barks. This
proves a trophic relation between tamarind and termites
or ants.
Tamarind-social insect association is not yet scientifically
well elucidated. Some authors have reported the species
to grow near ant-hills or termite mounds in Africa, due to
its preference for well aerated soils (Allen & Allen, 1981).
It has been also suggested that its association with anthills and termitaria may be due to a preference for slight
lime content in the soil (Jansen, 1981). However, up to
date, these hypotheses have never been tested through a
scientific research.
Endogenous knowledge did not support them and clearly
showed that the presence of tamarind trees is anterior to
that of mounds.
Conclusion
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Tamarind is a socio-culturally suitable tree species that
could be used to diversify households’ incomes as far as
improving livelihoods is concerned in dry regions of Benin.
However, mutilations and over major threats to the
species are strong handicaps to its population’s stability
and long term viability.
interests are called on the species’ contribution to
households’ incomes and local economies.
Further research on the auto-ecology and feeding
preferences of termites or ants currently found under of
tamarind trees’ shade are also needed to elucidate their
affinity to tamarind.
Acknowledgement
I am grateful to IUFRO and its
Partners for making possible my
participation to IUFRO Events
through sponsorschip.
And a take the oportunity to tell that
my expectances have been fully
satisfied.
Thanks for your
attention