We note that in West Africa, Burkina's annual Shea nut output may be around 850,000 metric tons (the highest anywhere in the world), but only some 50,000 metric tons are currently being harvested.

All assistance to the women flows through their own local associations. As of November 2000, there were estimated to be more than 1,300 women Shea producers’ organizations; Today, there are more than 20,000, covering about half the country's provinces. In some areas, a very sizeable proportion of women belong to such groups -- in Sissili, for example, fully one-third of rural women are now engaged in Shea production.

According to our findings, women participating in the Shea groups also attend literacy classes, especially in Mooré and Dioula, two of the most widely-spoken indigenous languages. This makes it possible to help some of the women help other Shea producers.

Along with practical instruction, the various Shea projects also seek to educate the general public about environmental sustainability. The Shea tree is a protected species. It is illegal to even pick unripened nuts (mature nuts that fall to the ground). But the scarcity of cheap sources of energy often leads to abusive cutting of the trees for firewood, while farmers sometimes burn them to clear land for farming.

The Shea tree flourishes best in the wild and is not easily cultivated. Generally, planted seedlings, even if grown into trees, tend to produce useless nuts.


The most immediate challenge, however, is to protect the existing trees." The Shea tree is one of the country's greatest riches."