TREE AID
TREE FOODS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Local knowledge and nutritional value of tree foods in
Burkina Faso
1. INTRODUCTION
In Burkina Faso, 3.5 million people are affected by food insecurity, 1.5
million of which face severe food insecurity (World Food Programme
2012). Chronic malnutrition affects 31.5% of the population of Burkina
Faso, with 9.2% of people facing severe chronic malnutrition (SMART
survey 2013). Since 2007 eradicating malnutrition is a national priority in
the context of the Millennium Development Goals.
The vast majority of the population of Burkina Faso lives rurally, where
their livelihoods are dependent on agriculture. We know that these
poor households collect and eat tree foods (such as fruits, nuts and
leaves), however, the economic and nutritional contribution of these
foods is not well known.
In April 2014 TREE AID hosted an event in Burkina Faso where findings
from the first stage of its innovative TREE FOODS project were shared
with stakeholders. The findings from two studies commissioned by TREE
AID to understand more about 1) how tree foods are used to meet
nutritional needs in rural Burkina Faso and 2) the nutritional value of tree
foods were presented at this event.
This paper provides an Executive Summary of the original papers (both
in French) in order to share the important findings about the value that
tree foods can play in combatting malnutrition in rural Burkina Faso with
an English speaking audience. It begins with a summary of key
messages from both papers before providing an overview of each
paper.
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2. KEY MESSAGES

Burkina Faso faces serious nutritional and food security
challenges to which children and women of child-bearing age
are particularly vulnerable. Tree foods can play an important
part in addressing these challenges

144 tree foods are consumed in Burkina Faso. They are
consumed throughout the country and throughout the year.

Tree foods are often understood as complementary foods or
poverty foods. In fact, in rural Burkina Faso they are staples.

Tree foods are nutritious. They are rich in macronutrients,
micronutrients and vitamins. Nuts and seeds are rich in protein
and fats. Pulps are rich in vitamins, notably Vitamin C and
Provitamin A. Tree foods contain essential amino acids and offer
high energy value.
The sustainability of tree resources is crucial to the potential of
tree foods, but this area is under-researched meaning that the
sustainability of the resource is uncertain.


Further research and investment is needed to harness the
potential of tree foods.
3. LITERATURE REVIEW ON LOCAL KNOWLEDGE AND USE OF TREE
FOODS
The literature review was conducted for TREE AID by the local research
organisation, INERA. The review focused on all and any tree products
that humans use and consume in rural Burkina Faso, including: fruits,
seeds, pulp, nuts, leaves, butter, oil, sap and flowers. It gathered
literature from across Burkina Faso.
It found that tree foods play a crucial role in the diets of poor, rural
populations. In times of drought and shortage, they are staples. Poor
rural people also use tree foods to generate income. Therefore, tree
foods are important for food security as sources of nutrition and sources
of money to by food.
144 different tree foods were mentioned in the literature collected. Tree
foods are eaten throughout the year and are predominantly eaten
fresh. The sustainability of the trees that these foods come from is
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crucial, but little literature or analysis exists on the current stock of such
trees or on strategies for their conservation.
Methodology
INERA researchers developed a methodology to ensure that they were
able to gather all relevant literature from across Burkina Faso. They
divided the country into four quadrants (Dédougou, Dori, Fada and
Gaoua) as well as conducting searches in three urban centres
(Ouagadougou, Bobo-Dioulasso and Banfora) where University
collections, libraries, government offices and NGOs held literature. In
total, the team visited 56 sites around the country from which it
collected literature.
They collected a total of 277 documents. These included 28 different
kinds of document; the most common were etiquettes (60), articles
(50), reports (34), progress reports (19) and technical (13) and project
cycle (11) reports. The majority of the documents were collected in the
urban centres of Ouagadougou and Bobo Dioulasso; however all of
the etiquettes came from documents collected in the regional
searches.
The researchers developed a grid against which to summarize and
analyse the documents collected. Each document was entered into
the grid, which collected key publication information, the geographic
focus of the document, information on the species concerned and on
the human uses of the species.
All regions of the country were referenced in the literature. Documents
that focused on Burkina Faso as a whole were the most common (34
documents). The regions that received the most attention were the
Northern region (29 documents), the Boucle du Mouhoun region (21
documents) and the Hauts-Bassins region (17 documents). All other
regions were the focus of between 5 and 15 documents, with the
exception of Plateau Central region, which was the focus of only 3
documents.
Findings
144 tree foods were referenced in the literature
The following species were mentioned in at least 40 documents:
 Shea (Vittellaria Paradoxa) – discussed in over 100 documents
 Baobab (Adansonia Digitata) – discussed in over 80 documents
 Locust bean (Parkia Biglobosa) – discussed in over 80 documents
 Tamarind (Tamarindus Indica) – discussed in over 60 documents
 Balanites (Balanites Aegyptiaca) – discussed in 60 documents
 Ziziphus (Ziziphus Mauritiana) – discussed in over 40 documents
 Saba (Saba Senegalensis) – discussed in 40 document
 Tallow tree (Detarium Microcarpum) – discussed in 40 documents
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Tree foods are staples
They are also used as aperitifs, desserts, medicines, seasoning,
supplementary foods and tonics.
Tree foods are consumed throughout the year
Because most tree foods are consumed fresh, they are usually
consumed over the course of several months when they are in season.
However, because the seasonality of tree foods varies according to
the species, households are consuming some kind of tree food
throughout the year. Some products (37 species referenced in the
literature) are dried and/or stored and eaten throughout the year,
especially in times of shortage.
Most tree foods are eaten fresh, without being processed
Where tree foods are processed, this is usually in the household in
advance of being eaten.
Where commercial processing takes place it is usually on a small,
artisanal scale. Tree foods are collected primarily using traditional
methods, such as: collection from the ground, picking from the tree,
tapping, shaking the tree to release leaves and removing limbs from
the tree.
At present only a very few species are the focus on industrial
processing; these include shea, gum Arabic and tamarind
The sustainability of tree resources is crucial but uncertain
The literature did not offer a clear picture of the availability of tree food
species. Recent statistical information was not available, making it very
difficult to assess whether tree food species are being sustainably
managed.
Where sustainability strategies were discussed, the following methods
were used: tree planting, sowing seeds, awareness raising, nursery
production of seedlings, natural regeneration, assisted natural
regeneration, the development of nutritional gardens and income
generating activities.
4. LITERATURE REVIEW ON THE NUTRITIONAL VALUE OF TREE
FOODS
The local research organisation IRSAT was commissioned by TREE AID to
undertake a review to establish 1) major nutritional deficiencies in
Burkina Faso and 2) the nutritional value of tree foods.
It found that Burkina Faso is confronted with a number of nutritional
challenges, including food insecurity, malnutrition and deficiencies in
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particular nutrients. Tree foods can contribute towards improving
nutrition. Tree foods are rich in macronutrients, micronutrients and
vitamins.
Seeds, nuts and pulp from tree foods offers high energy value. Pulps
are rich in vitamins, notably Vitamin C and Provitamin A. Seeds and
nuts are rich in fats and protein. Tree foods also contain essential amino
acids.
Methodology
The researchers focused on 12 priority tree foods and a further 12
secondary tree foods, selected because they are the most frequently
studied tree foods. They conducted a literature review that collected
academic research as well as technical materials and reports.
Literature that focused on Burkina Faso was privileged but
internationally focused studies were also included to enlarge the
sample. Literature was assessed based on its quality and applicability
before being included in the review.
Findings
Major micronutrient deficiencies in Burkina Faso include Iodine, Iron
and Vitamin A
 34% of children between 1-3 years old are Vitamin A deficient
 88% of children between 0-5 are anaemic, with 70%
experiencing moderate to severe anaemia
 Only 25% of women of childbearing age consume meat, 17%
consume iron-rich vegetables and only 3.8% consume eggs.
Therefore protein deficiency is a major concern for women of
childbearing age.
Tree foods are rich in macronutrients that are essential for nourishment
 Protein: Protein-rich tree foods are at least 25% protein when
dried. These include shea nuts (41%), locust beans and seeds,
balanites nuts, Adansonia Digitata seeds and nuts, Sclerocarya
Birrea nuts, moringa leaves and seeds and Detarium
Microcarpum pulp.
 Amino acids: Many tree foods are rich in amino acids, including
tamarind, moringa leaves, Sclérocarya birrea nuts and leaves,
Vitex doniana pulp,
 Omega acids: Fermented locust beans and baobab seeds are
rich in Omega 6, as are moringa leaves and seeds and balanites
nuts. Moringa leaves are rich in Omega 3.
 Fats: Tree foods rich in fat include: shea butter (75%), locust
beans, balanites nuts, moringa nuts, Adansonia Digitata nuts,
Sclerocarya Birrea nuts, and Vitex doniana pulp.
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
Carbohydrates: The vast majority of tree foods are rich in
carbohydrates. Only the Sclerocarya birrea nut and the moringa
seed are less than 20% carbohydrate. Honey is extremely rich in
carbohydrates (96%). In many tree foods the carbohydrate
content is fibre-rich.
Tree foods are rich in micronutrients that protect health
The table bellows tree foods that are rich in particular micronutrients
Calcium
(more than 250mg per 100g)
Copper
(more than 25mg per 100g)
Iron
(more than 130mg per 100g)
Potassium
Magnesium
Manganese
Sodium
Phosphorous
Zinc
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Fermented locust bean
Balanites pulp and leaves
Shea pulp
Bombax
Moringa leaves
Adansonia digitata seeds and pulp
Sclerocarya birrea pulp
Lannea microcarpa pulp
Ziziphus mauritiana pulp
Saba senegalensis pulp
Acacia macrostachya seed
Locust bean pulp
Moringa leaves and seeds
Adansonia digitata leaves
Acacia macrostachya seeds
Adansonia digitata leaves, pulp and
seeds
Locust bean pulp
Honey
Shea
Bombax costatum
Tamarind pulp
Moringa leaves
Detarium microcarpum pulp
Saba senegalensis pulp
Acacia macrostachya seeds
Adansonia digitata leaves, pulp and
seeds
Locust bean pulp
Balanites leaves
Shea
Bombax costatum
Moringa leaves and seeds
Locust beans
Moringa leaves
All tree foods
Highest sodium content = fermented
Locust beans (1250mg per 100g)
All tree foods
Highest phosphorous content =
Adansonia digitata leaves (875mg per
100g)
All tree foods
Highest zinc content = Moringa leaves
(548mg per 100g)
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Tree foods are rich in vitamins
Data availability on the vitamin content of particular tree foods was
poor. However, the available data does show that tree foods are very
rich in Vitamin C, particularly Ziziphus mauritiana, baobab fruit, locust
beans, Anacardium occidentale and Sclerocarya birrea. A number of
tree foods are also rich in Provitamin A.
Cooking, drying and storing tree foods can have positive and negative
effects on its nutritional value depending upon the process and the tree
food
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