Bark for sale: the adoption potential of Prunus africana as an agroforestry tree for small-scale farmers in Cameroon

The bark of Prunus africana, a tree growing in African highland forests, has been exported from Cameroon to Europe since 1972 for the treatment of benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH). Bark harvesting has had a devastating effect on the tree in Cameroon, Africa’s largest P . africana bark exporter. This paper assesses the adoption potential of P. africana a m o n g s m a l l-scale farmers,that is, its profitability, acceptability and market potential. While not as profitable as Eucalyptusspp, an alternative enterprise, farmers want to grow P. africana because it is compatible with many crops and has multiple uses –bark sales, medicine, tools, poles, seed sales, and mulch. In fact, several thousand farmers have planted the tree. The availability of markets also appears high, as herbal treatments of BPH are popular and demand is likely to grow. Research is needed in four areas to help P . africana play a sustainable role in improving the livelihoods of s m a l l-scale farmers: domestication, understanding farmers’ experiences growing and using the tree, market assessments, and tree tenure. Moreover, progress on promoting P. Africanaa s a s m a l lholder enterprise is dependent on Cameroon meeting the demands of the European Union and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species to conserve and sustainably manage the tree

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