ESSENTIAL TO DEVELOPMENT
Promotion of essential oils from frankincense and myrrh areas of origin
Essential oils are complex volatile compounds extracted from seeds, flowers, leaves, stems, roots and resins of aromatic plants. In the resins case, water distillation is the most suitable way to obtain essential oil. In water distillation, the material is almost entirely covered with water in the still which is placed on the fire. Subsequently water is made to boil and the essential oil is carried over to condenser with the stem which is formed. This method is the oldest and easiest process known for obtain essential oils from plants and natural products.
Small community-based plants could generate additional value to resins collection and pastoralists directly benefit from a fair price for their products. Actually 8 different oleo-gum resins studies are carrying out in order to sift chemical composition, quality standards, market desirability as well as economic potentiality.
An interest-free loan for the installation of a distillation unit was already granted from a fair-trade market organization, La Boteguita, Cittą di Castello (Perugia, Italy), as demonstration of the attention and credibility raised at international level.
Certification of quality and origin (Protected Denomination of Origin) for aromatic resins
Main unsolved problem intrinsic to natural gums and resins market and production concerns quality standards, often absent or uncertain and unreliable. There is a grading system based on colour and size grains. This system turn out to be rather effective for Tigray type olibanum, while is not applied or applicable to other resins and aromatic balms productions. The undertaken research is trying to place a chemical key beside the mere appearance, also to solve the age-old problem of unambiguous species identification.
Then another intervention is directed to provenance and protection of origin. Southern Ethiopia is one of the few extraordinaire cases of spontaneous collection of natural exudating resins. This activity is an important budget item of pastoral household economy. Development of wild origin based market represents the best protection for Boswellia and Commiphora woodland, preserving bio-diversity and assisting an harmonic development of the communities within their habitat, without led them to modify their environment asset, rather facilitating a wider and wider integration.
From organic market and fair-trade point of view, these resins satisfy all the criteria and fully own requirements to be considered 100% organic and respectful of human work.
Extremely important is the protection and improvement of a specific territory, through typical products promotion and safeguard. Particular resins produced in specified areas, following ancient traditions and processing techniques, need to be preserved at international level through a Protected Denomination of Origin preventing others producers or merchants from pastoral resources exploitation and indissolubly binding community to their area. This activity is in line with the will to better quality features of frankincense and aromatic resins, applying standards and packaging in loco an higher value product with DOP caption.
From human olfactory heritage preservation point of view, the Horn of Africa is one of the largest diffusion centre for aromatic resins and an international and national forestry conservation policy should at least be considered. This would favour pastoral and agro-pastoral communities who would collect the fruits of a development plan based on sustainable natural resources use and their obvious protection.
Assessment on essential oil potential in Zone 2, Afar Regional State
IPO focus on essential oils distilled from resins, trying to link different pastoral area within the country. An oleo-gum resin tree belonging to Commiphora (af: ado addi) genus is on examination to reveal possible active principles and the possibility to profitably distil it.
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