Gum Arabic Belt Potential in the Livelihood improvement of Central Sudan Drylands.

1* Abdalla Gaafar Mohamed.

1Forests National Corporation, P. O. Box 658, Khartoum, Sudan.

*Corresponding author Tel. + 249911102030 Fax +249183472659 E.mail

Introduction

The most important forest type in the Sudan may be the gum arabic belt, which lies within the low-rain savanna zone. The term gum arabic belt is used to indicate a zone of 520,000 km2 in area that extends across Central Sudan between latitudes 10○ and 14N, accounting for one fifth of the country's total area (Gaafar 2005). The belt accommodates around one fifth of the population of the Sudan and two thirds of its livestock population. The belt acts as a natural barrier to protect more than 40% of the total area of Sudan from desert encroachment. Moreover the belt is represents a site of intense and diverse human such as irrigated agriculture, mechanized rainfed agriculture, traditional rainfed agriculture, forestry and animal production (Ballal 2002).

Gum Arabic exudes from hashab trees in the form of large (5 cm diameter) nodules or “tears”. Mature trees, 4.5-6 m tall and 5-25 years old, are tapped by making incisions in the branches and stripping away the bark to accelerate exudation. The hashab tree is a multipurpose tree that has an important role in generating income, providing household wood energy and fodder demands, besides enriching the soil fertility, possibly also through biological nitrogen fixation (Ballal 1991). Based on a classification by Harrison and Jackson (1958), A.senegal occurs in a number of vegetation types ranging from the semi-deserts and grassland zone in the north of the Sudan to the Terminalia-Sclerocarya-Anogeissus-Prosopis savanna woodland in the south of the country.

Gum production is a pillar of family economy and considered as an income-generating source that requires only a low input of work after the rainy season (Gaafar 2005). Gum has a history which goes back to pharaonic times that used it in body mummification and in making water colors, dyes and paint

Land use, shifting cultivation and agroforestry

Land use sustainability is a challenge to the people living in dryland environments. Problems that commonly challenge these people include desertification, poverty and low levels of investment

A typical land use practice that prevailed in Kordofan, western Sudan, in the past was shifting cultivation with or without bush-fallow (Seif El Din 1984). The A. Senegal agroforestry system is practiced as a means of restoring the soil fertility and promoting gum arabic production (FAO 1978). The bush-fallow system was built in a way that achieves ecological balance using traditional shifting cultivation, where a long fallow period maintains the soil fertility. Until recently, the traditional A.senegal-based agroforestry system was recognized and considered one of the most successful forms of natural forest management in the tropical drylands (Fries 1990), and regarded as sustainable in terms of its environmental, social and economic benefits (Ballal 1991).

Traditionally, the A. senegal tree is managed in a time succession with agricultural crops such as sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench), pearl millet (Pennisetum typhoideum Rich.), groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.), sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) and karkadeh (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.). This agroforestry system allows a period of 10-15 years for restoring the soil fertility after a short period of arable cultivation (Ballal 2002). The cycle thus consists of a relatively short period of cultivation followed by a relatively long period of fallow.

The bush fallow cycle starts by clearing an old gum garden (15-20 years old) for the cultivation of agricultural crops. Trees are cut at 10 cm from the ground surface, and stumps are left to initiate a vigorous coppice regrowth. The cleared area is cultivated for a period of 4-6 years, during which time the coppice shoot re-growth is removed to improve the establishment and growth of agricultural crops. However, when the soil fertility declines, crop growing ceases and the area is left as fallow under A. Senegal (Ballal 2002). The remaining trees are tapped for gum arabic until the age of 15-20 years, after which they are cleared again for crop cultivation. The bush-fallow system supports well the livelihoods of the local populations, because it is the major source of both cash, and subsistence. However the bush fallow system was disrupted and the traditional rotational fallow cultivation cycle has been dramatically shortened or completely abandoned (Awouda 1973). Consequently, the negative impact on the soil and water has been substantial, to the extent that commercial agriculture is also facing problems (Ballal 2002). Moreover, sustainable management of the gum gardens is threatened because of severe droughts and indiscriminate clearing of A. senegal stands for firewood and charcoal production for a short-term, albeit unsustainable, source of income (Elfadl et al. 1998).

Gum yields have decreased, however, because of biotic, physical, socioeconomic and institutional reasons. There is a need to look at this traditional dryland management from a more holistic perspective. Proper integration of the gum yielding tree into the farming production system is needed

Gum arabic a complex, slightly acidic polysaccharide. Gum arabic is very soluble in water and forms solutions over a wide range of concentrations without becoming highly viscous . The combination of high solubility in water and low viscosity confers on GA its unique highly valued emulsifying, stabilizing, thickening and suspending properties (Chikamai et al 1997).

Gum Production and marketing

Gum production in the Sudan has developed over generations in a tradition handed down from father to son. This long experience is not easily matched in other countries and in Sudan it is backed up by a well-established extension and research service.

The importance of gum in the livelihood of the people inhabiting the gum belt is well known. More than four millions of people in the gum belt of Sudan are involved in gum tapping, harvesting, cleaning and trading of gum.

Sudan commands 70 - 80% of the world gum Arabic market. Its annual exports range from 20 000 - 50 000 metric tons with an annual average for the past decade of 25 000 m. t. The table bellow shows production level for gum in twenty-four African countries where Sudan has abeen the main gum Arabic producer and exporter.

Table 1. Average annual exports of gum arabic for the period 1990-98 (tonnes).

Country / Average annual export
Sudan / 19520
Nigeria / 9263
Chad / 5467
Tanzania / 503
Cameron / 477
Senegal / 364
C. Africa / 245
Mali / 211
Zimbabwe / 202
Eriteria / 202
Ethiopia / 141
Niger / 138
Kenya / 128
Burkina Faso / 106
Egypt / 100
Somalia / 47
S. Africa / 25
Mauritania / 18
Ivory Cost / 18
Togo / 3
G. Bissau / 2
Morocco / 2
W. Sahara / 2
Djiboutti / 1

Source: FAO (2000).

Gum arabic marketing process as described by Abdel Nour starts with a small producer collecting a few kilogrammes which he sells to a village merchant or in a weekly village market. The amounts thus collected are transported to subsidiary markets in smaller towns or bigger villages. The buyers there are usually representatives for merchants in the main markets. Big producers and free lance subsidiary merchants have the option of taking their amounts to auction markets. These were first started in 1922. The essential feature of the auction is that the buyers and sellers come together and the government clerk auctions the gum, starting with a floor price determined by the government. Buyers bid and sellers usually settle for the highest However, the percentage of gum arabic that is handled by auction markets doesn’t exceed 30% of the total (i.e. 70% of trade dealings are executed outside official markets over a very lengthy chain of middlemen, brokers and profiteers) (Ibrahim 2002).

The Challenge

Gum production communities suffer from the lack of regulatory infrastructure, sense of organized co-operative behavior as well as lack of trading information which is due to the inferior economic, social and demographic characteristics of these communities (Ibrahim 2002)

Due to lack of finance and transportation facilities, small producers sell their production to the local traders at very low prices through Sheiling system (exchange of products with supplies of food, sugar, tee, coffee). The actual return to producer was reported not to exceed 40% of the floor price for a particular season (Ibrahim 2002).

The proposed project is a continuation of the restocking of the Gum Belt project started in 1980. The project was financed by the Dutch Aid for a period of 15 years through three phases. Million of trees were planted and large areas were rehabilitated. Twenty Gum Producers Associations (GPAs) were formed in Um Ruaba and Shaikan provinces of Northern Kordfan State towards the end of the project duration (in 1992) in order to carry on the process of production and marketing of Gum Arabic as an income generating activity. In 1994 the idea was evaluated and proved successful. Gum producers in other part of the country expressed their interest to adopt the idea. Hence he Forest National Corporation, the sole government institute in charge of forestry and forest conservation and development in the country led the effort that has resulted into formation of 1,650 GAPAs with a total of two million members of which 30% are women. The objective of formation of GAPAs was to strengthen collective action in production, storage and marketing of gum Arabic, There is a need to strengthen the capacity of GAPAs through improving production, business and marketing skills and providing them access to finance services with reasonable credit charges as an alternative to the traditional sheil system. As a pilot exercise, small number of GAPAs in North Kordofan has recently received funds to provide credit to their members on a revolving basis to finance gum related operations - principally tapping and marketing. This first pilot has shown good results where producers obtained higher incomes from their gum. The repayment rate under the revolving credit scheme is almost 100%.

References :

Abdelazim M. Ibrahim (2002). Gum Production in Africa with Especial Reference to Sudan and Emphasis on Potential for Poverty Alleviation. Workshop on Gum Arabic Production, processing and Trade in Africa, Khartoum – Sudan, 22 – 25 April 2002

Chikamai, B.N, Casadei, E, Coppen, J. J. W, Abdel Nour H.O and Cesareo,D (1996). A Review of Production, Markets and Quality Control of Gum Arabic in Africa. Technical Cooperation Programme TCP/RAF/4557. Food & Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome.

El Amin, H. M. (1990). Trees & Shrubs of the Sudan. Ithaca Press, Exeter.

GAPC (1996). The Historic Importance of Gum Arabic in the Sudan. The Khartoum

Gaafar, A. M. (2005). ------