Pathways to achieving sustainable development goals through tree commodities in Africa

Tree commodities are tree crops grown largely for commercial purposes, such as cocoa, coffee, timber, oil palm, and rubber. The category also includes fruits, raisins, gums, oils, nuts, leaves and other products harvested from trees in the wild or in early stages of domestication. In subSaharan Africa, tree commodities occupy more than 100 million ha of arable land. They are also a large part of land management dynamics as they interact with food and nutrition systems. In total more than 250 million people are directly involved in these activities, while over 600 million are indirectly impacted by the value chains and supply systems. Tree commodities make up between 15 and 20% of the GDP in SSA, with more than 35 countries involved.Tree commodities are also key export crops and therefore key in determining the balance of payments. As a result, tree commodities are an important part of livelihoods, agro-ecosystems sociological and economic systems. Consequently, they play an important role in potentially determining how Africa will, or will only partially, achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

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