Marula has long been a staple in Namibian homes, where both the nut and the fruit have a reputation for being healthy and the nut oil is popular for skin care and cooking. In recent years, international companies, too, have caught on to the oil – and with demand booming, there is one group of women that has had a big hand in bringing Namibian marula oil to the global stage.
“Marula and other fruits such as melons have sustained Namibians for many years,” says Martha Negumbo, who manages the Eudafano Women’s Cooperative (EWC) that unites 2500 women across 27 producer associations throughout Namibia. The cooperative uses circular bioeconomy principles to harness the potential of indigenous resources and bolster food security while also creating opportunities for local women in non-food products. Namibia is developing a Bioeconomy Strategy with the support of FAO, and indigenous foods and innovation are some of its key action areas.
Together, the women in the EWC harvest and process marula nuts and sell them to international clients including the Body Shop, bringing in annual revenues of USD 158 000 for the cooperative. Rich in linoleic and oleic acids, marula oil contains more antioxidants than argan or olive oil, and the fact that it’s one of the most stable natural oils in the world makes it great for use in cosmetics.
Martha, who was brought up by her grandmother in Ondangwa, where the Eudafano factory is based, needed no convincing to join the cooperative. She’d seen first-hand the hard labour women put into providing for their families and the ways they drive rural development.
“I found this group of women with a unique business model – I loved the work they were doing, and I thought it was wonderful that the very same oil we ate at home could also […] provide income streams in areas such as cosmetics,” says Martha.
The women harvest the nuts from local trees, but they also plant new ones to protect local resources and biodiversity. What’s more, EWC works on a no-waste principle, which means by-products such as marula cake are sold for animal feed. Altogether, the cooperative, which has been around for more than two decades, is providing plenty of opportunities for local women to market different kinds of products.
For Martha, development and conservation go hand in hand. “It gives me great pleasure to work in a cooperative that supports the advancement of rural women,” she says. At the same time, “it’s important we continue to learn about precious natural resources like marula and how to conserve them.”
