CADEP-SFM Good Practises

Title: Production of Frankincense for making Uunsi fragrance in Erigavo District, Somalia.

Category: Crop

Country: Somalia

Audience: Farmers, Agricultural Officers

Introduction


Erigavo District is located in central Sanaag region of northern Somalia. The District is the largest and most populous in Sanaag region. About, 10 km to the north of the Erigavo are remnants of a juniper forest, found along the edge of the escarpment overlooking the Gulf of Aden. The escarpment is approximately 2,000 m above sea level. The Erigavo settlement within the District is several centuries old and lies approximately 60 km from the ancient northern town of Maydh. The area is also known for its numerous historical tombs. Climate in Erigavo is semi-arid. Despite its location in the tropics, temperatures rarely exceed 300C due to its high altitude. The Erigavo receives less than 400 mm of rain annually. Monthly average temperatures range from 14.30C in the month of December to 19.70C in the month of July. Absolute minimum temperatures are sometimes below 00C.

Objectives


The objectives of growing improved mango on-farm are to:

  1. To Improve farmers’ income
  2. To enhance socio-cultural values

Approach


Frankincense is an aromatic resin used in incense and perfumes and is obtained from Boswellia sacra. Boswellia is a small deciduous tree, height of 2 to 8 m, with one or more trunks. Its bark has a paper texture and can be easily removed. The tree has compound leaves with odd number of leaflets, which grow opposite to one another along its branches. The Boswellia harvested in the North Eastern Bari area of Somalia is believed to produce resins with unique scent and stickiness. To produce the perfume, a resinous sap is harvested and extracted by making a small, shallow incision on the trunk or branches of the tree, or by removing a part of the bark. Once the incision is made, a milky substance that coagulates once in contact with air and sap is collected by hand. Somali (uunsi amber) fragrance is blended by combining the age-old art and recipe of natural handmade bakhoor, which is made from a variety of classical and exotic attars (oils). Each fragrance is enriched with various natural ingredients including; agar wood, aromatic wood, sugar oud, musk, exotic flower essence and essential oils, floral waters and frankincense (luban). Somali (uunsi) fragrance is boiled while the conventional bakhoor is baked. The fragrance is of premium quality and is handmad

Impact

Social economic: increased farmers’ income from production of Uunsi amber Socio-cultural: Uunsi amber releases fragrance that is pleasant to smell and refreshes the environment Ecological: Boswelia trees are conserved thus enhances biodiversity


Innovation

The improved mango growing technology has been widely adopted by many farmers within Kitui County. However, for improved mango tree growing to be widely adopted, there is need to intensify information dissemination through various strategies such as: farmer-to-farmer knowledge sharing; field site visits to mango orchards; establishment of learning sites such demonstration plots; learning through farmer field schools; and holding field days and training courses for farmers. Some of the innovative modifications applied to the mango growing technology include: increased tree spacing from 5 m x 5 m to the projected 10 m x 10 m spacing to allow for increased canopy size and fruit yields; application of top-working grafting technique to improve survival rate of grafts, instead of the initially introduced root-stock grafting; growing two mango varieties namely; apple and kent due to market preference, instead of the initially introduced 7 varieties; and use of sabine mango variety as a root stock instead of the local mango variety to enhance seedlings survival in the field during dry season as sabine variety has a deep root system.


Sustainability

  1. The resin is produced by tapping the trees and thus there is no destructive harvesting
  2. Livelihoods of communities are improved

Innovation

  1. The fragrance is also used in medical field for; improving gut functions, alleviating asthma attack and curing certain types of cancers.
  2. The production of the fragrance is an innovation

Constraints

The challenges encountered in applying the good practice include:

  1. The tree grows in northern part of the Somalia only
  2. Prolonged drought and winter season in the area affects resin production. Lessons learned

Some lessons learnt include:

  1. Farmers can produce fragrance without modern technology
  2. Boswellia sacra tolerates harsh environmental conditions and can grow in calcareous soil

Lessons

Uunsi amber is traditionally made perfume incense by Somali women and is a viable enterprise with a potential to improve farmer's income


Conclusion

Uunsi amber is traditionally made perfume incense by Somali women and is a viable enterprise with a potential to improve farmer's income