Hoodia Cultivation as an Alternative Source of Income for Rural Development
Introduction
The Hoodia plant (Hoodia gordonii) has been identified as one of the most exciting natural resource for rural development in Southern Africa. The international demand for slimming down remedies is believed to be very high in the Western and European countries and can not be satisfied by wild crafting of the resource. Therefore cultivation of Hoodia is a possible and very practicable solution to supply the valuable plant material. Since the species is naturally adapted to the environment and does not necessarily require irrigation farming, the establishment of Hoodia as a new crop in Botswana should be highly successful.
One major challenge for Hoodia cultivation is the limited availability of seeds. Only about 60 plants of Hoodia gordonii are so far known for Botswana and the surveys are still being done to ascertain the actual total number of the resource. The Department of Forestry and Range Resources in collaboration with BORAVAST Trust in south western Botswana is collecting seeds from the limited wild resource. BORAVAST is an acronym derived from the villages of Bokspits, Rappelspan, Vaalhoek, and Struizzendam that make up the Trust. The Hoodia Cultivation Project is also meant to multiply plants for an increased seed production.
Background on Hoodia
Hoodia gordonii is a cactus like plant that grows in the Kalahari Desert region including South Africa, Namibia and Botswana. It contains substances that have an appetite suppressant effect. History records that Hoodia was originally used by the San people of the Kalahari Desert to reduce hunger and thirst while they were travelling and hunting.
The South African Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) began testing the properties of Hoodia in 1996. They discovered that the plant contains previously unknown molecules that act on the brain (hypothalamus) and makes the body think that food requirements have been satisfied. Those molecules or components are now known as P57.
Reasons for Cultivation of Hoodia
The main reason why Hoodia is being cultivated is because it is a very valuable resource ($250/kg dry weight). It has an enormous market potential in the developed countries especially in the Western World where there is an increasing obesity rate.
Obesity is often associated with high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol levels, and insulin resistance. This disorder affects millions of people mostly in the developed countries and it is a common cause of premature death and diseases.
While obesity reaches epidemic proportions, the affected become increasingly desperate to find new ways to control their body weight, thus creating a huge market for the resource and increasing its value.
The second main reason is that the resource is very scarce d it is found in specific areas of the country. Hoodia gordonii is only found in the Bokspits area while Hoodi currorii is found in certain portions of Boteti and Bobirwa sub-districts.
Again Hoodia species has been listed under Appendex II of CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of wild flora and fauna). Therefore the resource is highly protected, hence the need to cultivate it to ensure sustainability of the wild resource.