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The golden properties of Shea

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In August, Anita sets off every morning to the parklands near her village in Northern Ghana to gather shea nuts. Her daily journey takes her 5 miles North of her home. Here, she and women from nearby villages meet to collect the smooth, reddish-brown kernels that drop from the patchwork green canopy. 

Shea nuts, native to West Africa and sometimes called ‘women’s gold’, have been a key source of nutrient-rich food, medicine and skin care for Anita, her community, and countless generations past.

A vital source of income for women living in poverty

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They are also Anita’s primary source of income. After harvesting, Anita brings them to her local cooperative. The nuts are dried on a large concrete platform in the hot September sun. After a week, their outer shell is cracked by hand or using a simple tool to reveal the oil-laden, coffee-brown inner shea kernel. Its contents, the size of a large olive, are in increasingly high global demand. Anita earns around 2,600 Ghana Cedis (£150) from selling her harvest through this cooperative. This is the only income Anita receives throughout the year.

Sustaining life in fragile ecosystems

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Shea nuts aren’t just valuable for what they provide to humans. Their broad canopies absorb carbon from the atmosphere. Their dense, expansive root systems stabilise the surrounding soil and support nutrient cycling. Their lime green leafy branches provide habitats for birds and bees in the dry lands of West Africa. And when their wavy oblong leaves shed, they help to enrich the nearby soil.  These resilient trees, capable of surviving heat and drought, are helping to combat desertification.

24 kerry lemon shea ak 99 copy

Nyra’s contribution to regreening the Sahel

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Despite their potent value to humans and nature, shea trees in West Africa’s parklands are under threat. The trunk of the shea tree is harvested as a source of fuel, which is invaluable in areas without alternative energy sources. Bushfires frequently threaten their survival. Natural regeneration can’t keep up with these threats, leaving the shea tree population in steady
decline.

But the unique value of these golden fruits and the vast benefits of the stoic trees on which they bloom are inspiring people worldwide to help these trees thrive.

Nyra supporters—in partnership with the Global Shea Alliance, the University for Development Studies, and Maltiti Foundation—are working with Anita and women like her across Northern Ghana, to

incorporate shea trees and other sustainable practices into their farming systems. We are part of a wider collective of people, governments, and companies building a ‘Great Green Wall’ across the Sahel region. 

Together, we are developing a rich tapestry of shea trees, interspersing with other native tree and sustainable crops. Through our efforts, the landscape will become greener every year, the sound of buzzing pollinators will become more audible. And the farmers protecting these trees will harvest their shea to produce the soothing moisturisers and nutritious foods that we’ve all come to enjoy.

Nyra’s contribution to regreening the Sahel

—

Despite their potent value to humans and nature, shea trees in West Africa’s parklands are under threat. The trunk of the shea tree is harvested as a source of fuel, which is invaluable in areas without alternative energy sources. Bushfires frequently threaten their survival. Natural regeneration can’t keep up with these threats, leaving the shea tree population in steady decline.

But the unique value of these golden fruits and the vast benefits of the stoic trees on which they bloom are inspiring people worldwide to help these trees thrive.

Nyra supporters—in partnership with the Global Shea Alliance, the University for Development Studies, and Maltiti Foundation—are working with Anita and women like her across Northern Ghana, to incorporate shea trees and other sustainable practices into their farming systems. We are part of a wider collective of people, governments, and companies building a ‘Great Green Wall’ across the Sahel region.

Together, we are developing a rich tapestry of shea trees, interspersing with other native tree and sustainable crops. Through our efforts, the landscape will become greener every year, the sound of buzzing pollinators will become more audible. And the farmers protecting these trees will harvest their shea to produce the soothing moisturisers and nutritious foods that we’ve all come to enjoy.

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