Bush mango (Irvingia spp.): forest and on-farm resource availability and market chains in the Southwest Region of Cameroon

AbstractBush mango (Irvingia gabonensis and I. wombulu) is one of the most important non-timber forest products in Cameroon. Recently, research has shown that bush mango kernels can reduce obesity, control appetite, and reduce fat and cholesterol. In view with the expected increase of the demand linked to these recent results, we studied here the present condition of the resource and the market chains in the southwest Region of Cameroon. The study was conducted in 2013 in four forest areas and involved two syndicates of bush mango trading. Pre-tested questionnaires were administered to 180 collectors and 20 traders of bush mango. Results show that fruit collection was carried out both in the wild and on farms with dominant use of family labor. Processing of the product was done manually by traditional techniques and used as thickener in soups or as paste. Traders used different measuring units to purchase bush mango kernels from village, city and trans-border markets. The prices of the products vary with ...