ABSTRACT
Baobab (Adansonia digitata L.) is known in Africa as ‘the Tree of Life’. Various products from the baobab tree, including its fruits and leaves for foods, its bark for fibre and all parts for medicine have been used by people living across Africa for thousands of years (Buchmann et al. 2010, Kamatou et al. 2011, Venter and Witkowski 2013a). It is also an emblematic species present in much folklore and cultures of the people of the regions in which it is found. The fruit is an important local source of food and is bartered and sold to generate cash income that supports the livelihoods of many rural people. Recently the demand for baobab fruit has moved into global markets where it is now growing in popularity.
