Sammanfattning

Shea butter, derived from the African shea tree, has acquired a pivotal position in global agro-food and cosmetics industries. In Burkina Faso, public and private actors as well as civil society are converging upon the product to boost the incomes of rural female producers. As a result of these trends, the shea value chain is increasingly segmented; shea nuts are sold in a low-return, conventional market and simultaneously enter an alternative, high-value niche market. In the latter strand of the value chain, some producers are improving their prospects by forming an association. Tracing relationships across the two strands, we demonstrate how horizontal' relations based on gender, ethnicity, age and geography contribute to shaping participation and benefit capture in the shea value chain. We argue that processes of social inclusion and exclusion operate in parallel, as differentiated actors both cooperate and compete to secure their place within the chain. While collective organizing brings positive social and economic benefits, we show that producers' associations need not be empowering for all women. The significance of collective enterprises, but also their drawbacks must be considered when valorising pathways to women's empowerment. Our study reinforces calls for greater integration of horizontal elements in value chain analyses.

Nyckelord

Shea (Vitellaria paradoxa); value chains; gender; Burkina Faso; social inclusion; exclusion; collectives

Publicerad i

Environment and Planning D: Society and Space
2017, Volym: 35, nummer: 1, sidor: 107-125

SLU författare

• Arora Jonsson, Seema

  • Institutionen för stad och land, Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet
    

Globala målen

SDG2 Avskaffa hunger, uppnå tryggad livsmedelsförsörjning och förbättrad nutrition samt främja ett hållbart jordbruk
SDG5 Uppnå jämställdhet och alla kvinnors och flickors egenmakt
SDG8 Verka för varaktig, inkluderande och hållbar ekonomisk tillväxt, full och produktiv sysselsättning med anständiga arbetsvillkor för alla
SDG10 Minska ojämlikheten inom och mellan länder


UKÄ forskningsämne

Socialantropologi
Tvärvetenskapliga studier
Kulturgeografi


Publikationens identifierare

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0263775816657084

Permanent länk till denna sida (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/90870