Domestication of “wild mango” improves food security in rural areas of Equatorial Guinea
Households are equipped to crack the rich dika nut, safely
Abiara-Esatop, 20 February 2016 - In Equatorial Guinea, wild mango or also called “andok” is imported from Cameroun or Nigeria or gathered from the trees grown naturally in the moist tropical forest.
Thanks to the technical support of the FAO sub-regional project “Strengthening the contribution of non-wood forest products to food security in Central Africa” supervised by the Forestry Commission of Central Africa (COMIFAC) and financed by the African Development Bank (ADB) through the Congo Basin Forest Fund (CBFF), many rural families in the Abiara-Esatop pilot site in the Nsok-Nsomo District, have successfully domesticated the “wild mango” tree.
“In order to extract the nut – known as dika nut – the wild mango fruit needs to be cracked. This relatively simple process is often the source of hand injuries, as it is commonly done with a machete. To avoid this kind of accidents, 160 devices to crack the dika nut have been distributed to beneficiaries”, explains FAO Representative to Equatorial Guinea Olman Serrano.
The hand-over event took place on Saturday 20 February 2016 in the Abiara-Esatop pilot site, in the presence of representatives of the rural families beneficiaries of the project, the local authorities, the Director-General of Forests, project staff and the FAO Representative.
In addition to the hand-over event, preparations were made to enable local communities organizing sales of dika nuts in the Nsok-Nsomo traditional market, open the second Saturday of the month.
Trade and consumption of “wild mango” (Irvingia gabonensis) is widespread in many African countries, particularly as its seeds are consumed in many different ways, mostly when they are pounded to butter or as a chocolate bar and used as a sauce rich in calcium, fat and carbohydrates.
The most important benefits to the rural population of Abiara-Esatop are the increase in dika nut production through the domestication of the “wild mango” tree, women employment, improved food security, increased income through trade of the dika nut and reduction of injuries in post-harvest activities.
Links:
Harvesting of Irvingia Gabonensis and Irvingia Wombulin Nigerian Forests
Crop data sheet: Irvingia gabonensis
Contact: FAO-Eq-Guinea (FAOGQ) [email protected]