Our vision
The BAORULA network is dedicated to advancing African agroforestry, with a special focus on baobab and marula. Its work unfolds across three interconnected strands: academic, civic, and partnership. The academic strand fosters research, policy engagement, and scholarship that support sustainable innovation. The civic strand centers on grassroots collaboration—transforming ideas into tangible impact through initiatives like nursery development, community gardens, and value chains that strengthen local livelihoods. The partnership strand builds robust alliances with aligned organisations to catalyze change and pursue shared objectives.
We strongly support participatory methods in the domestication of baobab, marula, and other species, emphasizing that safeguarding genetic and phenotypic diversity is essential throughout the process.
Participatory domestication involves actively engaging local communities and farmers in selecting and propagating tree species based on traits they value—such as fruit taste, size, yield, and resilience. It builds on indigenous knowledge, respects local preferences, and strengthens the link between science and practice. Participatory conservation ensures genetic diversity is preserved by involving communities in identifying and protecting valuable wild trees. It includes both in situ (in natural habitats) and ex situ (gene banks and lab-based) approaches. Combined, participatory domestication and conservation preserve agro-ecological diversity, empower communities through knowledge exchange and ownership, and ensure long-term sustainability of domestication and conservation. They additionally protect culturally significant and nutritionally valuable tree species while supporting biodiversity, pest resistance, and adaptation to changing conditions.
Key activities for baobab and marula should include:
- mapping and sampling wild trees with unique traits
- monitoring tree performance across environments
- identifying “plus trees” with desirable traits such as fruit taste or drought resistance
- evaluating fruit and oil quality
- propagating trees via grafting and growing saplings in nurseries
- planting saplings in communities and training communities to manage nurseries and propagation long-term
- encouraging communities to protect old or rare trees in the landscape
- creating field gene banks and “living labs” in communities
- developing in vitro and cryopreservation methods
