By Dr Sarah Venter

Baobabs featuring at the Savanna Science Network Meeting

Steven Khosa (SANParks) and Dr Sarah Venter did an evaluation of meshing baobab trees for the last 12 month period.  The findings were presented at the Savanna Science Network Meeting in Skukuza in the Kruger National Park in April 2025.  The data showed that Elephants were present 97% of the time in areas with meshed trees, compared to 94% in [...] Continue Reading
By Dr Sarah Venter

African Baobab Alliance – Global Baobab Congress 2025

Dr Sarah Venter visited Senegal to attend at the African Baobab Alliance Global Baobab Congress 2025 and the Pan African Access and Benefit Sharing Conference.  At both conferences Dr Sarah Venter made presentations about the conservation and management of baobabs across Africa.  Field trips were done to see the baobabs in Senegal and some of the local processing of baobab [...] Continue Reading
By Dr Sarah Venter

Grow your own baobab

Baobabs produce a large fruit which are filled with hard kidney-shaped seeds.  These seeds are “nature-designed” to survive harsh conditions and to germinate at exactly the right time so that the young seedling can grow and survive in the wild.  Our job is to crack that code by mimicking the natural conditions that stimulate germination and allow the seedlings to [...] Continue Reading
By Dr Sarah Venter

Do bees pollinate nocturnal baobab flowers?

Pabalelo Phori (MSc candidate) investigates the role of bees and other insects visiting baobab flowers. The buzzing of bees around baobab flowers in the early morning is a common sight and although bees are an important pollinator of many species, do they actually play a role in pollinating baobab flowers?  This is the important question that Pabalelo will be investigating [...] Continue Reading
By Dr Sarah Venter

Do baobab trees matter?

Liam Taylor (MSc candidate) investigates the ecological consequences of elephant-induced tree mortality on bird communities. Liam Taylor is an all-round naturalist, who takes identification of everything he sees seriously.  From insects to reptiles and mammals to trees, but his passion is birds.  He is one of those birders who the moment a bird tweets or flies past everything else is [...] Continue Reading
By Dr Sarah Venter

Green Defenders

The Green Defenders are local community action group headed by Thuso Mukoma of Mukomawabane Village in northern Limpopo. The group solves environmental problems such as erosion and pollution around their village and then get together to take action.  Their activities include tree planting, monitoring illegal harvesting of fuel wood and building gabions.  Their efforts are important to the environment in [...] Continue Reading
By Elthea Schlesinger

Two Africans on life and Baobabs in Africa

Watch this: Koffi Bepe, a young Gabonese engineering student wanted to know more about the commercial value of African Baobabs. Through the African Baobab Alliance website, he ended up interviewing one of their founding members; South African baobab specialist Dr Sarah Venter, for his quirky, down to earth podcast, ‘Last Week Review”. What follows is an interesting slice-of-life-discussion between two […] Continue Reading

EcoProducts FSSC V4
By Nina Geraghty

Another milestone in the EcoProducts journey – FSSC 22000 V4.1

EcoProducts Baobab fruit powder production facility has been certified FSSC 22000 V4.1 compliant.  FSSC 22000 Food Safety System Certification is a highly regarded level of food certification that meets global standards.   FSSC 22000 is fully recognised by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI)