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Consumer Preferences for Baobab Products and Implication for Conservation and Improvement Policies of Forest Food Resources in Niger (West Africa)

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Consumer Preferences for Baobab Products and Implication for Conservation and Improvement Policies of Forest Food Resources in Niger (West Africa).Adansonia digitata L. (African baobab) provides a wide range of market products in Niger. These products are highly important in the traditional dishes and are also a cultural asset for the Nigerien households. The main objective of this study is to assess the local consumers’ preferences for marketed baobab products and to infer key elements in order to design conservation strategies at local and national levels. A total of 432 consumers were surveyed in eight rural and four urban markets in Niger. Results from a contingent valuation application show that 61% of the consumers are willing to pay a mean of 24.7% above the current market prices. These funds would favor the implementation of a conservation and improvement program for assuring the availability of baobab products in the market and conserving the baobab resources. Promoting health and food security based on the development of these products will likely also play a role in favoring the conservation of the species. Préférences des Consommateurs pour les Produits du Baobab et implication pour les Politiques de Conservation et d’Amélioration des Ressources Alimentaires Forestières au Niger (Afrique de l’Ouest).Adansonia digitata L. (baobab africain) fournit une large gamme de produits du marché au Niger. Ces produits sont très importants dans les plats traditionnels et constituent également un atout culturel pour les ménages nigériens. L’objectif principal de cet article est d’évaluer les préférences des consommateurs locaux pour les produits du baobab commercialisés et de déduire des éléments clés afin de concevoir des stratégies de conservation aux niveaux local et national. Au total, 432 consommateurs ont été enquêtés dans 8 marchés ruraux et 4 marchés urbains au Niger. Les résultats de l’application de la méthode d’évaluation contingente montrent que 61% des consommateurs sont prêts à payer 24,7% au-dessus des prix actuels du marché. Ces fonds favoriseraient la mise en place d’un programme de conservation et d’amélioration à fin d’assurer la disponibilité des produits du baobab sur le marché et la conservation des ressources du baobab. La promotion de la santé et de la sécurité alimentaire basée sur le développement de ces produits jouera également un rôle dans la conservation de l’espèce.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank all the people who have participated in this study: mainly the respondents and the countless people who cooperated selflessly in the field work, including the local interviewers and colleagues at Université Dan Dicko Dankoulodo de Maradi and at Université de Diffa.

Funding

This work was financed by Project AECID 2014/ACDE/003520: “Access to, conservation of, management of, and recovery of woody food species in Niger.”

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Forest Research Centre (CIFOR), National Institute for Agriculture and Food Research and Technology (INIA), Ctra de La Coruña km. 7.5, 28040, Madrid, Spain

    Dolores Agúndez, Ricardo Alía & Mario Soliño

  2. iuFOR, Sustainable Forest Management Research Institute, University of Valladolid and INIA, Valladolid, Spain

    Dolores Agúndez, Ricardo Alía & Mario Soliño

  3. Université Dan Dicko Dankoulodo de Maradi, Maradi, Niger

    Sitou Lawali

  4. Université de Diffa, Diffa, Niger

    Ali Mahamane

  5. Complutense Institute for International Studies (ICEI), Complutense University of Madrid, Finca Mas Ferré, Edif. A. Campus de Somosaguas, 28223, Pozuelo de Alarcón, Spain

    Mario Soliño

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  1. Dolores Agúndez
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Correspondence to Mario Soliño.

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Agúndez, D., Lawali, S., Mahamane, A. et al. Consumer Preferences for Baobab Products and Implication for Conservation and Improvement Policies of Forest Food Resources in Niger (West Africa). Econ Bot 72, 396–410 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12231-018-9427-1

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