Impact Study 2020
KAIBAE began out of a love for wild plants and a commitment to their stewardship. Ten years ago, we connected with communities in northern Ghana to learn about their needs and discuss developing a supply chain to harvest the baobab fruit. Since these first meetings, KAIBAE has created lasting partnerships and supply chains that both generate sustainable livelihoods and promote stewardship of these incredible trees.
We are excited to share that KAIBAE is making an impact above and beyond what we imagined possible at the beginning of this journey.
In 2012, KAIBAE began a supply chain in the Upper East region of Ghana, in direct partnership with local communities. Prior to this time baobab had been historically consumed or used primarily at a household level, with occasional scattered sales of artisanal baobab ‘candies’ in local markets. Over the last eight years KAIBAE and its local partner, Green Action have bought 75 metric tons of baobab fruit powder, baobab seed oil, baobab seed meal, and baobab leaves. The development of these supply chains has impacted the lives of close to one thousand community members in Northern Ghana and has helped to create a vibrant market for baobab in the region and internationally.
In February 2020, KAIBAE undertook a participatory impact assessment to better understand the impact of baobab harvesting and sales for its partner communities in Upper East region, Ghana. Using a series of participatory rural appraisal (PRA) methodologies, derived from the Participatory Assessment Design Guide published Design Guide by the Feinstein International Center at Tufts University, the KAIBAE team interviewed fruit harvesters across three separate communities in the region. While 85% of all baobab harvesters are women, each of the three group interviews had an even mix of female and male participants
