Domesticating forest fruits to increase farmers’ income

Hello, dear listeners, and welcome to our program.

Today with our guests, we will talk about how domestication has improved the food and nutritional aspects of the fruit called Gola or jujube (Ziziphus mauritiana), which can significantly improve the finances of farmers.
We speak first with Mr. Diatta Marone, Director of the National Forestry Research Centre or CNRF, a trained forester who was with the Institut Sénégalais de Recherches Agricoles for 20 years.
Secondly, we speak with Colonel Djibril Ba of the Water and Forestry Department who goes into the details of domestication. He explains how domestication has contributed to increasing profits from the local jujube tree with larger, healthier, and more delicious fruits.

Third, we speak with Mr. Alioune Fall who is a Gola producer. With 30 Gola trees in his field, he can harvest up to two tons of fruit each year.

Finally, Mr. Alioune Fall shares the techniques he uses to address the difficulties of growing Gola.

We start with Mr. Marone.

Mr. Marone, thank you for accepting our invitation.

My pleasure.

Mr. Marone, can you tell us, in simple terms, what domestication of forest fruit is?

To put it simply, domestication is the identification of one or more species of fruit which, through research, are able to produce more and produce healthier, larger, and more nutritious fruit. Once the fruit species is identified, it is monitored in laboratories. We have research stations where we do experiments on forest fruit species. After completing the research, we plant the fruit species on the farm, along with the producers. There, we test the performance of the species. Together we evaluate several qualities of the forest fruit species. If the species adapts well and passes the tests, it is multiplied and distributed to producers by extension services.

What is the purpose of domesticating a fruit?

The purpose is to improve food and nutrition and increas the yields of forest fruits.

In today’s program, we are looking at the improved jujube tree. Until recently, jujube was only eaten as an appetizer. Today, it is becoming a larger fruit with more flesh because of grafting with the Indian variety of jujube called Gola. The National Forestry Research Centre is piloting the jujube domestication project in Senegal. What have we learned from this project?

In the case of the improved jujube tree there is, for example, the Gola variety, but also the Seb variety and several other varieties. Initially, we had to work on the genetic aspects of the jujube tree to bring out genes that could improve the quality of the fruit in terms of size, amount of juice, and so on.
Today, many other varieties have emerged from this process of varietal improvement, and in many cases, more than 90% of these varieties are not propagated by seed.

What do you mean?

For example, if you sow the seed that is inside the Gola, it will not give you the Gola variety. Instead, it will give you an ordinary local jujube tree.

So how do you go about propagating it?

You have to graft them. To do that, you have to plant what we call rootstocks. For example, we plant local jujube trees that will serve as rootstocks for the Gola variety. Then we cut grafts from the Gola tree and graft them onto these rootstocks. In a single nursery, it’s possible to grow up to two or three thousand trees at a time. And then when we harvest the fruits, we harvest the Gola variety. After grafting, we propagate the jujube tree in our nurseries, and also in traditional jujube tree populations in the country. And finally, we distribute the Gola plants to producers.

What is the difference between grafting and domestication?

Grafting is a means of multiplying the domesticated fruit on local jujube rootstocks. And domestication of forest fruits is the transformation in quantity and quality of local forest fruits for human use and consumption.

In the case of Gola, the rootstock is very strong, meaning that it adapts well to stress. This explains the high success rate of the plants distributed to producers. It is a variety that has adapted well to local conditions. So when you use the local variety as a rootstock, it is already well-adapted to the agroclimatic conditions of our arid areas.

How can harvesting Gola increase farmers’ livelihoods and living conditions?

We created a field of improved jujube trees in Saint Louis, a northern region of Senegal. When the field started to produce, we sold a kilogram of Gola at 1500 FCFA ($2.40 US). This is five times more expensive than ordinary local jujube sold at about 50 cents per kilogram. And the same applies wherever Gola is harvested in the country. So jujube cultivation helps producers improve their income.

How can farmers gain access to these improved varieties?

The National Agricultural and Rural Advisory Agency distributes the varieties to farmers.

What are the physical advantages of the Gola compared to the ordinary local jujube tree?

First, the fruit of the local jujube tree is small. The fruit has little juice and the flesh is minimal. With the improved jujube tree, for example, the Gola, the flesh is abundant and attractive. This variety has an apple-like appearance. It is a large fruit, one of the reasons why it attracts growers. The edible portion of the fresh Gola fruit is about 20 times larger, in volume and weight, than that of local jujubes. This is obvious even to the naked eye.

Maturation is fast. Three years after planting, you can start harvesting the fruit.

Thank you, Mr. Marone, Director of Senegal’s National Forestry Research Centre.

Djibril Ba is a colonel in the Ministry of Water and Forestry. He’s also an agricultural engineer, and he’s with us to talk about some of the key points of domestication.

Good morning, colonel.

Good morning.

Until recently, the fruit of the local jujube tree was eaten as an appetizer. Today, it is becoming or has become a fleshy fruit because its shape has been improved with the graft of the Indian variety Gola. Can you tell us a bit about it?

The Gola variety is very popular in Senegal and is one of the species that farmers are interested in because it gives interesting fruits in terms of nutritional value, and the yield is better than the local jujube.

And how would you compare the yields of improved variety of jujube which is the Gola and the traditional, wild jujube?

A mature Gola jujube tree can yield an average of 60 to 80 kg during the year, whereas the undomesticated wild tree yields three to nine kg, or even less.

Is fruit domestication is a viable way to increase farmers’ income?

Indeed, the seed of these domesticated fruits gives better yield and a better quality fruit. It is therefore preferable and sells at a high price.

With regard to seed selection, are there any specific techniques that are used? Are there any specific steps to take to domesticate forest fruits?

There is a whole policy around collecting forest seeds. You can’t just collect any seed. For example, you can’t collect seeds on the ground. These seeds are likely to be infected with bacteria, viruses, and other diseases. The seeds are then picked from the trees using a long stick or rod, and placed in a bag. These seeds are placed in specialized ovens which dry them to remove humidity and separate the bad seeds. This is how we select seeds. After that, it is up to the research department to work on the genetic aspects to extract genes that can improve the quality of the fruit in terms of size, nutritional value, and other characteristics.

Are there other forest fruits that could be beneficial to farmers?

Like the jujube tree, we can domesticate fruits such as Balanites aegyptiaca, called soump in Senegal, sba senegalensis or maad in Senegal and sabaa in Mali. There is also the cashew tree, whose fruit is the cashew apple. For example, the cashew apple harvest provides many women in Senegal with a source of daily income. Through domestication, the cashew tree produces large fruits: a big fruit and a big nut, much more profitable financially.

Colonel Djibril Ba, thank you.

Alioune Fall is a fruit tree producer in the Region of Saint Louis, in northern Senegal. Mr. Fall has 30 Gola trees on his two-hectare farm, located in the village of Rao, in the commune of Gandon. Hello, Mr. Fall.

Good morning.

How did you get into growing Gola?

My history with Gola farming began when I was at the Senegalese Institute for Agricultural Research or ISRA. I was the head of a department called “Jardin d’Essai” which experimented with and grew new varieties of fruit trees in Senegal. In 2000 and 2001, I discovered the Gola jujube tree during a project.
After my retirement from ISRA in 2009, I started to grow trees. This was how I set up my two-hectare farm, which I callRanch Gougna.

On this farm, where you grow several varieties of fruits, you have 30 Gola jujube trees. What is your experience growing Gola? How did you acquire these plants?

I was a bit privileged at the beginning because I already had plants in the experimental garden that I was managing at the time. The first thing I did was to plant ordinary jujube plants. Then I grafted them with the Gola grafts that I found in the experimental garden. That’s what gave me these Gola trees.

Farmers can also get the already grafted plants directly from the research centres and plant them directly in their fields.

Then, once the trees have been planted, do they need any particular care?

The plants need special care in the first three years. They need to be watered twice a week during the dry season. You also have to remove the weeds around them regularly. After three years, they become independent like local jujube trees.

Did you encounter any problems during cultivation?

Yes, each area has its own challenges, whether it’s the Gola jujube or the natural jujube. In this area, there are many threats, especially when the fruit begins to ripen. There are pests like caterpillars that attack the ripe fruit. This is because the fruit is sweet. And this decreases its quality.

And how did you manage these pests?

First of all, you have to understand the cycle of production of these trees: when they bloom, when to treat them, when to prune the branches, etc.

In other words, three or even four months before the start of the rainy season, the Gola jujube trees lose their foliage. You must then prune the dead wood must then be pruned before the tree flowers, which starts a month later. When the fruits start to appear, I spray them with a natural insecticide. There are many, but I use neem oil. Once every 21 days, I apply neem oil on the fruits and continue this until one month before the harvest. The treatment lasts for about two months each year. And the fruits are harvested between December and January.

Did you encounter any other problems during production?

Another obstacle I encountered in growing Gola relates to the birds, especially parakeets, that come to eat the ripe fruit. My farm is not far from a forest park, so there are also monkeys that destroy the crops. We have to take precautionary measures so that they don’t spoil the crops. In this case, we have to closely monitor the harvest. You have to put scarecrows in the field or other deterrents that the farmer can afford.

What are the financial benefits in growing the improved Gola jujube?

There are many advantages in growing Gola. A kilogram of jujube is sold for between 800 FCFA ($1.29 US) and 1,000 FCFA ($1.61 US). Each plant yields between 50 and 80 kilograms of fruit each year. This gives me an overall annual production of about two tons from the 30 trees. After selling the fruit, I earn between 1.6 million and 2 million FCFA ($2,570-$3,213 US) per year.

What is your final message, Mr. Fall?

All I can say is that the Gola jujube tree has a great future. More importantly, it can be grown on all types of soil. The local jujube tree can be grown anywhere, be it in the fields, in homes, or in other places.

Thank you very much, Mr. Alioune Fall.

Dear listeners, we are at the end of our program and we would like to thank you for your attention.

And thank you to our guests who have made it possible for us to produce this program. A big thank you to the Director of the National Centre for Forestry Research, Mr. Diatta Marone, who clearly and in detail explained what the domestication of the local jujube tree involves and how this resulted in an improved species called Gola. Also in this program, Mr. Marone discussed how domestication has improved the food and nutritional aspects of the Gola, which can considerably improve producers’ finances.

And thank you to Colonel Djibril Ba who went over the details of domestication. He explained how domestication helps to get better profits from the local jujube tree with bigger, healthier, and more delicious fruits.

Finally, we would like to thank Mr. Alioune Fall who is a Gola producer. With 30 Gola trees in his field, he can harvest up to two tons of fruit every year. With a kilogram of Gola selling for between $1.29 and $1.61 US, he earns between $2,500 and $3,200 US each year. Better still, the trees produce a lot of fodder to feed his animals. Alioune Fall also revealed the techniques he uses to address the challenges of growing Gola.

Thank you, dear listeners, for tuning in to this program. We will be back soon with the next edition.