1. Course Title:
Dryland Biodiversity
Topic:
Dryland plant products: The hidden potential
Compiled by: Pauline Gitonga (PhD student)
Dryland Resource Management Doctoral Programme
University of Nairobi, Department of Land Resource and Agricultural Technology

2. Definition
 Dryland
products also known as non-timber forest
products (NFTP) are plant based biological extracts.
Include;
 Natural gums (gum arabic, myrrh and frankincense)
 Aloe (Aloe secundiflora)
 Wild honey
 Hibiscus
 Shea butter
 Amarula or tamarind
 Bamboo
 Essential oils
 Spices and condiments
(Wren 2010; Lemenih and Kassa 2011)

3. Gum arabic
Tree
gum exudate used as an article of commerce
since ancient times.
Obtained
mainly from Acacia senegal and Acacia seyal
found widely across Sahelian belt of Africa
Harvesting
/ Tapping done on trees 5 years and older
by collecting oozing exudate or tapping to increase
yield.
Color
and quality of gum depends on climate (ambient
temperatures) and soil conditions of area. (Wekesa et
al 2012)

4. Gum arabic cont..
 Tapping
seen as an alternative livelihood
 Gum
has high demand due to its multipurpose use in
vast array of products;
 Most
gum arabic of commerce comes from Africa
with Sudan accounting for 80% of world’s
production followed by Chad and Nigeria.
 Gum
arabic has wide application in the food,
pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries emulsifying,
stabilizing, thickening and suspending properties.
food industry uses 60–75% of the world
production.

5. Gum arabic cont..
Kenya-
3 Acacia varieties (kerensis, senegal &
leiorhachis : Baringo, Turkana, Kajiado, Samburu,
Isiolo,Mwingi & Taita Taveta counties
Average
yield is 250 g/tree per season
Individual
trees may yield several kilogrammes.
Cultivated
trees yield progressively increase
until tree is 15 years. highest yields when trees
are 7 to 12 years

6. A. leiorhachis
A. senegal
Source: Wekesa et al . 2012
A. kerensis

7. Myrrh
Aromatic
resin of small, thorny tree species
of genus Commiphora species myrrah
Main
source Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya.
Uses;
Perfumes, medicines (aromatic wound
dressings) and incense ingredients.
blended
with essential oil to make oleoresin
and can be ingested in wine.

8. Source : Wubalem Tadesse (2009)

9. Frankincense
Main
source is Boswellia papyrifera found in
Ethiopia, Sudan and Somalia
Tapped
by slashing bark, (striping) the
exuded resin allowed to bleed out and
harden. Hardened resins called tears.
Trees
start production at 8 to 10 years.
Tapping done 2 to 3 times a year.
( Wubalem 2009)

10. Boswellia papyrifera
Frankincense resin.
Edible used in Asia to aid in digestion.
Source: Wubalem Tadesse (2009)

11. Source : Wubalem Tadesse (2009)
Traditional harvesting technique
New tapping method adapted from
India

12. Challenges Gum/resin production

Improper tapping due to lack of knowledge

Postharvest handling/cleaning and storage not developed (losses or reduced
quality).

Inaccessibility of location

Communal ownership-sustainable harvesting difficult

Cutting down of trees for wood fuel

Illegal boarder trades

Regeneration capacity low in tapped trees e.g. Bosweilla – germination rate at
16% while seeds form untapped trees at 80%.

Pest attacks e.g. longhorn beetle

Land use change woodlands to agriculture

13. Aloe
Not
a cactus but from lily family.
360
species of aloe recorded.
Found
in hot arid areas globally.
East
Africa particularly Kenya has greatest aloe
diversity with 57 species compared with Uganda’s 17
varieties.
Aloe
species global trade regulated by the Convention
of International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).
( Wren 2008)

14. Bamboo
Fastest
growing plant in arid areas.
Acts
as an erosion control agent (net-like root
system creates an effective mechanism for
watershed protection as it “stiches” soil
together along fragile riverbanks and deforested
areas.
Best
suited in soil damaged by overgrazing and
poor agricultural techniques.
Unlike
with most trees, proper harvesting does
not kill the bamboo plant so topsoil is held in
place (Bashir and Zeila 2005)

15. Source: KEFRI website
Bamboo shoots grow to 6” in diameter and
up to 100’ tall in 3-6 months, quite an
impressive carbon storing mechanism
Source: Global access distributors Inc.

16. REFERENCES

Bashir J and Zeila A (2005). Agroforestry in the drylands of Eastern Africa
.World Agroforestry Centre . ICRAF Working Paper no. 1.

Ondonga J.J. (2010). Opportunities for alternative livelihoods in Karamoja. Food
and agriculture organisation (FAO).

Wekesa C., Lelon J., Muga M., Luvanda A. and Chikamai B. (2012). Gum arabic
production potential of natural Acacia senegal varieties in drylands of Kenya.
Kenya Forestry Research Institute.

Wren S (2008). Development of New and/or Scale-up of Existing Aloe-based
Business in Laikipia Kenya. Laikipia Wildlife Foundation Report http://
www.biotrade.co.ke/pdfs/LWF%20Aloe%20Bio-enterprise%20Development%20copy

Wubalem Tadesse (2009). Natural gums and resins: Potential dryland non timber
forest products of Ethiopia. Naturally African: in support of African natural
products development and marketing Sub- Regional Consultative Workshop for
Eastern Africa World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) - Nairobi, Kenya 18-20 May
2009