Baobab In the New York Times: Things Are Looking Up for the Baobab Trees
On the heels of climate week in New York there is some great news highlighting the resiliency and strength of the mighty baobab tree. Despite popular reports to the contrary, baobabs across Sub-Saharan Africa are thriving, in no small part due to the commitment to invest in the communities at the heart of conserving these giants of biodiversity.
Providing context
In 2018, a story went viral internationally suggesting that Baobab trees in Southern Africa were dying as a result of climate change. This story had a potentially negative effect on our industry, in that it caused many consumers to question the sustainability of consuming Baobab products. Recently, Dr Sarah Venter from the Baobab Foundation in South Africa, undertook a research study to assess the validity of this claim. "Contrary to reports in the popular media, adult baobabs do not appear to be dying at an accelerated rate because of climate change". Venter & Witowski, Nature Plants 10 (2024).
At KAIBAE, The Lost Crops™ Company we’ve spent over a decade working in Northern Ghana to help achieve those goals. And what does this mean in practice? As one of our founders Barbara Berger Maes says so well,
“The way to preserve Baobabs and their important role in biodiversity is to be stewards of the Baobab —harvesting its fruit, bringing economic support to the communities where they grow, and sharing the health benefits of Baobab fruit, leaves, and seed oil to help to ensure their survival.”
As founding members of the African Baobab Alliance, and KAIBAE's own Dr. Luc Maes ND and Tom Cole driving important research and understanding of the incredible health and wellness benefits of the tree, we are well situated to help spread this important news about the baobab.
Here's what the NYT had to say about Sarah's research...
