The Eudafano Women’s Co-operative EWC producing Marula oil for international markets in Namibia is one of the successful examples of enhancing local resources and traditional knowledge to build profitable and sustainable economic initiatives.
The EWC Co-operative, registered in 1996, is today composed by 26 associations and 2,500 women harvesting and processing the nuts of Marula wild Trees.
Marula (Sclerocarya birrea) is a medium-sized tree growing in the forests of Southern Africa and Madagascar. In Namibia for generations women have used this tree in a variety of ways as a source of food and income. The most important product of the Marula tree is the oil that can be used to preserve meat, as skin moisturizer and ingredient for popular foods and alcoholic beverages. For generations women in rural Namibian communities have been using traditional techniques drying Marula kernels in the sun and then cracking them open to extract and produce Marula oil for their families and to sell it on an informal scale.
The Marula oil is extremely rich in linoleic fatty acid, antioxidants and oleic acid, which are essential for the
preservation of healthy human skin. Being ten times more
resistant to oxidation than olive oil, it is one of the most stable
natural oil in the world.