Expelling Marula Oil from the Hard Marula Seed - Zimbabwe

This activity is addressing climate change by training women in leadership, strategic business management and marketing of Marula oil.

Fast facts:

250 women have benefited from the project;
The women have benefited from training and are generating income from the Marula oil business.

The problem

The soils in Zimbabwe can be poor and prone to erosion. Persistent droughts exacerbated by climate change are common and rainfall is erratic, with severe mid-season dry spells. Most households in the district are always food insecure.

The solution

The Marula tree is common in these drier parts of Zimbabwe. The Marula tree can bear fruit in dry conditions and it contains a seed that has kernels rich in Marula oil, which contains powerful antioxidants, high concentrations of minerals and essential fatty acids that protect the skin. The skin care properties of natural Marula oil make it appealing to the skin care industry. This activity is training women to extract Marula oil from the Marula fruit. The project also teaches women how to grown the Marula fruit trees and it builds women’s capacity to assume future leadership roles by in generating income from Marula oil sales to address their food insecurity.

Helping the planet

Communities in Zimbabwe are benefiting from the planted Marula trees. The Marula trees are drought-tolerant and are sequestering carbon. Communities are encouraged to plant more trees to get more Marula fruit and sequester more carbon.

Helping people

This activity is focusing on the diversification of livelihoods so that communities do not have to depend on agriculture alone. Selling Marula oil to urban markets will generate income to be used for food security and other uses.

Scaling Up

The project can be scaled up since the demand for Marula oil for the local and the export market is growing.