i Parkia biglobosa - School of Forest Resources & Environmental ...

Traditional Uses for Parkia biglobosa
Trees and their products are critically important for rural communities and
villages such as Kandiga. The traditional uses for P. biglobosa can be defined as non-
timber forest products (NTFP), which includes wood energy (fuelwood and charcoal) and
all other tangible products other than timber (Chandrasekharan 1993). Non-timber forest
products derived from P. biglobosa are food, medicine, glazes, animal fodder, soil
amendments, charcoal, and firewood.
The most significant product from P. biglobosa is food. The food products
collected from P. biglobosa are especially important due to the seasonality of fruit
maturation and food availability. In February or March, young green whole pods are
roasted and eaten by men. In March and April, the beginning of ‘hunger season’ when
other foods are becoming scarce, mature pods are collected for food. The seeds are used
in preparation of dawadawa, a protein and fat rich food. A study by Mertz et al (2001)
surveyed families in Burkina Faso on vegetable consumption and seasonality and found
that in two villages, dawadawa was consumed in 78% and 85% of all meals. Dobulong,
the yellow starchy pulp that surrounds the seed, is an important food supplement rich in
Vitamin C and carbohydrates (Figure 12). The dried powder is often mixed with water to
produce a drink called dozim by the Dagbani tribe and bololo in Hausa (Hall et al 1997).
Children in Kandiga often go foraging and gather food. Children gather and eat
the marble-sized dark green sweet and acrid fruit of ebony trees, taama the custardy
sweet fruit yielding a pecan sized seed (used to produce shea butter) from shea trees, and
the pods from P. biglobosa freckling their faces with the starchy sweet yellow powder.
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