Shea of the Savanna Parkland of Northern Ghana

Abstract

Shea (Vitellaria paradoxa) is indispensable in the production, consumption and culture of Northern Ghanaian societies as its uses and benefits extend across all facets of rural life, even in the 21st century. The study synthesizes the literature on the uses, impacts and sustainability outcomes of shea in the savanna parkland of Northern Ghana. Based on published peer-reviewed literature, this study used 36 articles for qualitative synthesis. Results indicate that shea has uses in medicine, energy, woodwork, local food/feed, and cosmetics. Shea has multiple impacts, including providing of employment and income for, most often, women across the shea value chain. Through these, shea is considered a viable enterprise for rural women’s economic empowerment as it aids their participation in household decision-making regarding food, clothing, education, and family health expenses. Shea for rural women is vital for food and income security. It is a foundation for financial capital building as rural women rely on shea earnings to save and invest in other economic ventures. Sustainability challenges from shea emanate from the nature of processing, ranging from input requirements to by-product disposal. Also, efforts at cultivating shea are at the experimental level with no definite success in commercial production viability, although the tree population continues to decline.