Written by Administrator | 22 March 2009

Managing dryland natural gum and aromatic resin production to integrate pastoralists sustainable economic benefits with desertification control and biodiversity conservation

Implemented organizations: IPO (Increasing People Opportunities), COOPI (Cooperazione Internazionale), PCAE (Pastoralist Concern Association of Ethiopia), LVIA (Associazione Italiana Volontari Laici), IR (Islamic Relief)

The setting up of 10 cooperatives for gums and resins collection and processing (incenses, balsams and aromatic resins) contributes to revive traditional products considered valuable and estimated since ancient times. The strategy is aimed at combining natural resources collection (collecting spontaneous resin exudates from plants) with biodiversity,environment conservation and traditional pastoral lifestyle. Increasing the value of incenses and enhancing gum and resins collection and processing has the double aim of promoting aromatic materials’ fair trade from Horn of Africa and, at the same time, protecting and conserving cultural heritage and natural landscape. Currently incenses’communities and cooperatives have access to Ethiopian national market, selling their products at higher prices compared with local market opportunities. Moreover they have access to western market selling their products through fair trade importing stations in Italy.

• Road to Resins

• Capacity building

• Distillation unit centres

• Packaging and visual identity

• Increasing in value of ethical price

 

"ROAD TO RESINS"

The documentary movie “Road to resins” realized in co-production by IPO, Le Fucine and Loop Service with international NGOs contributions, is a unique reportage on Ethiopian’s pastoral lifestyle. The production is aimed at spreading out knowledge about incense tradition, promoting pastoral lifestyle and cultural heritage preservation linked with this ancient activity. Defending nomadic lifestyle and increasing value to incense, myrrh and opoponax: real olfactory-cultural heritage of the humanity.
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CAPACITY BUILDING IN GUM AND RESINS SELECTION AND PROCESSING

The vocational training has been carried out with the support of NGPME specialists, one of the gum and resins processing and marketing leading company in Ethiopia. The training has increased communities’ skills in gum and resins selection and processing, increasing the value of raw material and the awareness on keeping high standard quality to sell products both in national and foreign market.

OPOPONAX AND AGARSU DISTILLATION UNIT CENTRES

The idea to set up cooperatives specialised in distillation of opoponax and agarsu balsam, contributes to increase further value to gums and resins available in the regions of Ethiopian lowlands. Essential oils are produced in loco by local cooperatives, through modern distillation units, made in stainless steel and suitable to work even in such extreme environmental conditions.

PACKAGING AND VISUAL IDENTITY

Giving voice to Ethiopian’s pastoral communities committed in gums and resins collection means using modern communications’ tools in order to include their products in a niche reserved to rare wild products commercialized in western market.

INCREASING IN VALUE OF “ETHICAL PRICE”

According to a thousand years old tradition, the best gums and resins quality are handmade collected and selected by local communities. Setting an “ethical price” to products contribute to foster this amazing activity, defending biodiversity and local traditions.
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