After our community workshop on Monday, my manager Colly started visiting the villages to buy our first fruit for the season. The fruit are packed into bags then loaded onto our pick-up and trailer. Each women is paid on delivery, so that she does not have to wait for payment. The bags of fruit are transported back to our factory in […] Continue Reading
I'm really pleased to announce that my article on my scientific research findings regarding the sustainability of the Baobab Tree population has been recently published in the science journal Forest Ecology and Management. This journal has a very rigorous selection process and acceptance is based on relevance, whether your article can demonstrate a genuine contribution to scientific knowledge, originality and […] Continue Reading
How could we not like this beautiful gold hand crafted pendant of a baobab tree? We also really like the concept of Precious Earth Jewelers who only use recycled previous metals to reduce the impact of mining on the earth's surface. Their eco-conscious jewelry feature's Precous Earth's trade mark is a single "little green gemstone" of imperial chrome diopside, a conflict-free and […] Continue Reading
This week we had our first collection workshop for the year. It was a beautiful crisp winter morning. When we headed out it was very early and the dew still hung on the baobab leaves. Everybody was in high spirits for the start of the collection season. Baobab fruit have started to ripen and drop off the trees and the women […] Continue Reading
The Baobab tree inspires so much in the world! So why would you be surprised that there's a legendary Senegalese band out there called Orchestra Baobab? Orchestra Baobab was formed in Dakar in 1970 when a group of Senegalese decided to create an intimate club where they could meet with their friends. They fashioned its walls and ceilings to resemble […] Continue Reading
How old were your parents when you were born? Not as old as the Baobab tree has to be before it's capable of bearing fruit. It can take a Baobab tree up to 200 years before it produces its first green-brown velvety pod-shaped fruit. January is when Baobabs start to fruit and fruit production is highly variable between trees. Some trees never produce […] Continue Reading
Photographic artist Elaine Ling http://buff.ly/14RLYG2 says of her pictures of Baobab trees in Africa: "These miraculous giants are one of the largest living things on the planet and have a potential lifespan of more than a thousand years. They are great friends to their human neighbours—providing an ever-renewing source of textiles, netting, baskets and roofing. Their nutritious fruit has many medicinal properties. […] Continue Reading
Flower and fruit production usually only takes place once a tree is a certain size. Baobab tree growth is dependent on access to water. Where trees grow in high rainfall areas (+1000mls …per year) baobabs can reach maturity much more quickly than in arid areas. We have worked out that in Venda where rainfall is 350ml per year it can […] Continue Reading
Don't you love these funkadelic fabric baobab decor trees! A bit of fun to brighten up your day! http://buff.ly/11k2gBi
I often get asked how old baobabs become. There is a lot of myth with most people believing that they live for up to 5000 years. I have been working with Dr Adrian Patrut, who has made it his mission to find the oldest baobab in the world. He has been at this for about 10 years, sampling trees all […] Continue Reading