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PROJECT DURAS

KALAHARI MELON SEED OIL

30 MARCH 2007

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THE KALAHARI MELON

• Citrullus lanatus, Kalahari Melon or “wild watermelon” is a bitter, small-fruited melon of the Cucurbitaceae family, recognised as the wild progenitor of the cultivated watermelon

• The centre of origin of the cultivated form, watermelon, is recognised to be the Kalahari Desert.

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Cluster analysis and comparison of the various morphotypes of this species, including wild types, local landraces and commercial cultivars showed a vast and clearly defined range of diversity exists in the following forms:

Wild populations

Modern cultivars for commercial purposes

Watermelon, cooking melon and seed melon landraces of the traditional agrosystems in northern Namibia

Possible introgressed types regarded as agronomic weeds.

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• This supports the traditional classification system used in the northern regions of Namibia, which identifies three distinct types: watermelons, cooking melons and seed melons (for oil), according to fruit morphology, ecological requirements and usage

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TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE

•In Northern Namibia, the traditional skills and knowledge of the producers lies in the management of the crop, selection of the watermelons for different purposes, the seed and oil extraction process and oil quality determination.

•The knowledge pertaining to the crop and the extraction processes is held mainly by the women. This knowledge would appear to be widespread rather than being held by only a few

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USES OF THE RESOURCEIn the NCRs of Namibia, KMS oil is traditionally used:• as a skin application/moisturiser and massage oil, • to a limited extent for cooking, • to treat earache/remove foreign bodies from the ears

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The oil cake, remaining after the oil has been extracted used:

• as an animal feed, • to treat malnutrition in people, • as a sauce with mahangu (pearl

millet) porridge • to treat eye conditions by eating

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• Wild KM still retains its feature of an emergency source of human food and animal feed in times of drought.

• Notwithstanding this significance, there are no obvious cultural or historical associations with this resource

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THE PRODUCT

• The product is the lipid oil from the seeds of the “Kalahari Melon”

• The “Kalahari Melon Seed” oil is rich in linoleic fatty acid (62%-71%) and oleic fatty acid (12%-20%), which gives the oil excellent nutritional qualities and emollient properties, especially for skin care (softening and healing qualities)

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PRODUCT UNIQUENESSThe uniqueness of KMS oil resides in specific

features related to its Southern African origin:

– The Kalahari Desert is the centre of genetic diversity of the species and a centre of origin of the domesticated watermelon varieties

– Kalahari Melon has a long history of traditional use for food and source of cosmetic oil in Namibia and adjacent countries

– Wild, semi-domesticated and traditional landraces are still widely used by rural communities in the region

– A high-value niche market for “community-traded” KMS oil from Namibia has recently been developed in the international cosmetic industry.

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LEVEL OF USE, MARKETING, EXPOSURE OF THE PRODUCT

• The traditionally processed oil is quite different from the “cold-pressed” KMS oil in terms of colour, smell and taste.

• The “cold-pressed” virgin oil produced with small-scale expeller technology has been marketed in Namibia for over 10 years with products from the oil appearing on the local market

• International market exposure of KMS oil as a cosmetic ingredient occurred in 2002, as an ingredient in a body butter product and in a wider range of personal skin care products by TBSI.

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• More than 5 years preparation work in Namibia and UK prior to this, including the registration of The Eudafano Women Co-operative as a “Community Trade” supplier of TBSI

• The appellation “Kalahari Melon Seed Oil” dates back to this time, with the intention to differentiate the product in the international market.

• Interest from a speciality lipid oil formulator to the cosmetic industry, for the rapidly growing Fair Trade and Organic certified market segments.

• Supply is currently limited to the NCRs of Namibia and unable to meet the demand

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REPUTATION OF THE PRODUCTThe existing reputation of KMS oil in the international cosmetic ingredient industry is strong, not because of intrinsic novel properties but due to its specific features:

Its excellent emollient qualities The low or no-input agricultural production

conditions, “organic” and from an unpolluted environment

The present and historical uses of the fruit, seed and oil help in documenting the safety of the product in the local and international market

The pure, natural, virgin, cold-pressed characteristics of its production

The community traded aspect of the supply chain, which provides a strong marketing image of a product benefiting poor rural communities and women in particular.

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DESCRIPTION OF THE INDUSTRY FRAMEWORK

• Collective structures in support of market access and quality management, representative body of the industry.

• Farming system

• Supply chain

• Ownership structures surrounding the indication

• External support

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INTERESTING PERSPECTIVES OF THE CASE STUDY

1. Transition from traditional product to “modern” product

Long-term implications for traditional process in terms of changes to the process of production and the product due to commercialisation

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2. Geographical limitations

• How to articulate a national strategy in a regional context

• How to integrate production across regions sharing the resource

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3. Emerging industry with no broad organisational structure

• Industry not structured enough to take on what is needed to go into GI application and how to defend it

• How can this capacity be developed

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4. Scope for combined strategies for promoting product identity

• Labeling to highlight positive characteristics of the product – is GI needed?

• Scope for number of combined strategies in promoting product identity

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5. Biodiversity protection

• What tools are available and appropriate to protect landrace biodiversity

• GI has links to biodiversity protection

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LINK BETWEEN GI PROTECTION & BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION

• Biodiversity relates to the wild resource and the traditional landraces. Namibia has an existing gene pool with a high degree of biodiversity.

• By defining the resource within a geographical area, the integrity of the resource in terms of its genetic variability could be enhanced.

• The developing KMS industry will have to consider the landraces and selective breeding process to improve lines based on this biodiversity.

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• Currently the resource is cultivated. Commercialisation could lead to a push for domestication. Breading programmes

• Any development raising the profile of watermelons and the economics of the industry, while promoting the protection of biodiversity is worthwhile pursuing. With no commercial benefits, it is questionable whether the public sector would invest time and effort in the resource. GIs would contribute to the justification for research and protection in line with the government’s national agricultural diversification and poverty alleviation policies.

• Through the establishment of an association or controlling body for the industry, as required for a GI, there is some scope for regulating the use of the resource to ensure sustainability, traceability and monitoring.

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CHALLENGES

• Need to expand production to meet market demand for the product.

• Need to defend a higher price for the product to sustain the development of the fledgling industry before economies of scale can be realised.

• Maintaining product quality and integrity so as to maintain its reputation.

• Geographical scope of a GI/Appellation.

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POTENTIAL FOR GI

• Protect KMS oil from competition from other parts of the world

• Protect against commercial scale operations within the Kalahari region

• Definition and management of quality standards for the seeds and oil

• Organisation of producers and harmonisation of process across rural C-B production areas in the SADC Region

• Protection of biodiversity (landraces)

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• The industry has a dynamic element to it as a whole. GI approach feasible if it considers trends in the industry to greater cultivation, landrace selection, expanding market strategy, evolution of low production technologies.

• GI must focus on the way the oil is produced and the trade thereof.

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TOOL FOR RURAL DEVELOPMENT

• Many/most C-B products are not the final product marketed, but represent a stage along the production process There is an emphasis on developing capacity to add more value within the country/region, GI could contribute to product protection.

• Few “endemic” C-B products within clearly definable, distinct boundaries within an area, country or region. GI could be useful in supporting existing, clearly defined products where the resource and production areas can be demarcated geographically or culturally.

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• The Namibian strategy in developing new markets is to focus on high-value niche markets. GI is a tool, along with ethical and fair trade credentials, that can contribute to the value of production downstream, enabling Namibian producers to compete with others in the market.

• Establishment of rural grassroots organisations necessary to support the development of new market opportunities in terms of supply chain and production volumes. GIs support the establishment of producer associations and representative organisations as part of establishing the claim and supporting GI status.