5.10 Indigenous trees and their role in rural livelihoods

Examples from Tihama Region, Repubic of Yemen

Tihama zones and their native trees

Red Sea Coast

Zone I Arid coastal lowland RF: 50 - 100 mm/year EC >3 ds/m Stretch: 20 km

Zone 1: Mangroove, Dome and Nehal treesZone 2: Selam, Arack, Temariks and Haleg trees Zone 3: Daber and Sedr trees

Zone 2 Arid/semi-arid lowland RF: 100 to 200 mm/year EC:1-2 dS/m Stretch: 25 km

Zone 3 Mid-land to mountainous RF: 300 to 400 mm/year EC:< 0.7dS/m Stretch:30 km

Acacia Eherenbergiana Selam Tree

Some basic facts

Most imporant & dominant Land coverage: 22,000 ha (2005)

Resilient to drought: Grows well in areas with RF < 150 mm/year

Moderately tolerant to salinity High regeneration capacity No dominant stem Life span: 10 to 15 years Tree height: 3 to 5 m Length of thorns: 8 cm

Major benefits

Flowers Most loved by bees

Selam Honey Arguably the best Used for famous dishes: ‘Fata’

and ‘Bit Al-Sahan’, (bread with honey)

Cost: USD 30/liter

Selam Honey: Thick and dark

Major benefits

Leaves and thorns Best feed for goats Rich in proteins Effective in goat fattening

Major benefits

Stem - wood Charcoal production:

• Arguably the best

• Lits quick and stay lit long

• USD 5 per sack (about 20 kg)

Keteran: • Fluid extracted from charcoal

• Cure for animal (goat, sheep, camel) skin diseases

Charcoal production process

Cut tree, trim leaves, and burn in a controlled manner, to remove thorns

Pile thorn-free wood in good order Cover the piled wood with

sorghum/millet residues left over by animals

Charcoal production steps

Cover with metal sheet and then soil

Ignite wood through small opening – let it burn for a week. After three days, fluid shedby the burning wood (Keteran) can be collected by inserting a pipe through the opening.

Close opening with soil, allow 3 days for cooling

Un-earth the woods, break them down and pack them in sacks

Sell on site or deliver to the market

Words of caution and wisdom

While charcoal prodution is source of livelihood for some, it should be conrolled:

Selam Tree coverage has decreased from 44,000 ha in 1970 to 22,000 ha in 2005 (TDA records)

“Iza Labu Sheger Selam, Labu Alnob, Labu Alasel, Labu alkenem, Labu Alakel” (if there is no Selam Tree, there are no bees, there is no honey, there are no goats, there is no food), words of the old namdic father seen in the picure

Zizphus spina-christ Sedr/Elb/Argh

Some basic facts

Second to Selam, the most important tree

Sparsely puputated - area coverage estimate:10,000 ha

Sensitive to drought Requires 20 to 30 oC and

300 to 400 mm/year Sensitive to salinity

Needs EC < 0.7 dS/m Life span: 20 to 25 years Height of tree: 5 to 10 m Small thorns: 1 to 2 cm

Major benefits

Flowers: As loved by bee as that of Selam Elb/Sedr honey -

• As good as - some say better than - that of Selam

• Cost: USD 30/liter Fruits

Tihama Apple Suplementary food Mild sugary taste

Sedr honey: Thick and brownish

Major benefits

Fruits Believed to cure kidney problems

• Boil fruits • Thick juicy fluid will form• Filter the Juicy fluid - drink at least about

1 litre a day - you feel better in few weeks

Leaves and branches: Favourite feed for Camel Natural shampoo: keeps hair fresh

• Dry leaves • Grind and throughly mix with water to

form thick green fluid• Wash hair with the thick green fluid

Major benefits

Stem Strong, resistant to termite

species Bed legs and frame Yemeni people enjoy gat

(excitement plant) in such a bed

Farm implements• Plough• Spade and hoe handle

Fishing boats

Jaafar Hassan Alawi Al-Jeffri, Director of Agriculture and Extension Department in his Eusha, a traditional hut where he enjoys Kat

Word of Eminence

Sedr is the Selam tree to the highland inhabitants: it is the most important contributor to their livelihood

Sedr, together with Selam, is a blessed tree in the Kuran (Jaafar Hassan Alawi Al-Jeffri, Director of Agriculture and Extension Department, TDA)

Silvadora persicaArack tree

Some basic facts

Easy to uproot - its habitat is being constantly encroached by agricultural fields

Endangered specie – estimate is less than 3,000 ha

Resilient to drought: Fourishes with RF < 150 mm/year

Slow at regeneration No dominant stem Life span: 10 to 15 years Tree height: 4 -6 m No thorns

Major benefits

Roots Natutal tooth brush Raw material for tooth paste –

export to Saudi Arabia 2 cm long root costs 30 Yemeni rial

Fruits Green–unripe Redish when ripe Hot, spicy Supplied with almost every dish

Major benefits

Tree as a whole Effective in stoping sand dunes Labelled as second best (first being

Haleg) defence belt against sand dunes in the Munira village trial by the TDA Agricultural and Extension Department (see elaboration on slide 26)

Words of appreciation

Profet Mohamed, may peace and prayers of Allah be upon him, said:

“If I am not bothering you too much, I would ask you to brush your teeth (using Arack) five times – that is before each prayer time”

Balanites aegyptica Haleg

Some basic facts

Native to mountainous areas 20 to 30 oC, 300 to 450 mm/year

Performed well in the arid Munira Village (trial by Agriculture and Extension Department, TDA)

> 35 oC, 100 to 200 mm/year Moderate regenation ability

Moderately tolerant to salinity Dominant strong stem Life span: 20 to 25 years Maximum height: 5 - 10 m length of thorns: 5 – 8 cm

Major benefits

Stem Strongest and heaviest

(Sedr ranks 2nd) Best for traditional beds (slide 15) and traditional

house poles Best for fishing boats (Sedr is second best)

Leaves and branches Good Camel feed (Sedr is best, slide 14)

Fruits Small egg shaped Suppemtary food for children High protein content

One of the typical highland village huts, all poles are from Haleg

Major benefits

Though native to highland areas, survived drought and proved to be the best sand dune defence in Munira Village (Arack is second best, slide 20)

Munira town gets life: thanks to Haleg & Arack

Abondoned Munira Village houses due to sand dune

10 years back

Revival of abondoned houses after 12 lines of Arak and Haleg defence against sand dune

Task competed by TDA 3 years ago

Notice 3 layers in the wall – top layer constructed in the past 3 years – still little buried by sand dune

Dome (coconut) Tree

Some basic facts

Costal area plant, tolerant to salinity EC > 2.5 dS/m

Poor in regeneration Land coverage significantly reduced

2 miilion trees in 1970 0.5 million in 2005 Relentlessly cut for various hand craft materials Groundwater (major source of water) table lowered

from 2 - 5m (1970) to > 35 m (2005) Moderately tolerant to drought Dominat stem Height of tree: 15 to 30 m

Major benefits

Fruits supplementary food Top hard and rough layer is removed by

colliding two fruits or using a stone Layer beneath the cover is stif but

delciious, it is eaten raw Interiror layer is a hard shell , childred

use it for a swirling ball game. Leaves

Various hand crafts• Shopping baskets • Prayer mat• Bed sheets• Sun protection hut

Major benefits

Khel – Vinegar Salad dressing Soup

Procedure to make Khel Make a cut at the juncture between stem and leaves Tie a container just below the cut to collect

continously dripping thin liquid Add yeast to the liquid and let it stay for 40 days - it

becomes strongly alcoholic with a flavour of vinegar Dilute it with an equal volume of water Usually sold in small bottles (0.3 l)

for USD 5 per bottle

Note:Actual Photo/Video documentation can be done in March/April when Khel is actually being produced

Tamarix Athel

Some basic facts

Resilient to drought: RF < 150 mm/year Temperature > 35 oC

Moderately tolerant to salinity Poor regeneration capacity Dominant stem Height of tree: 5 to 15 m Life span: 15 to 25 years

Major benefits

Fence for agricultura area

Perfect good looking hut roofs

Debora glabraDaber

Some basic facts

Sensitive to drought RF: 300 to 450 mm/year Temperature < 30 oC

Sensitive to salinity Very slow in regeneration Dominant stem Height of tree: 10 m to 15 m Lifespan: 50 to 70 years

Major benefits

Stem Hole is drilled – store for farm

implements and farmers’ lunch Hole can be easily drilled

• Takes maximum 1 hour • Outer layer (3 to 5 cm ) is

strong and stiff• Inner part is soft

Fire wood Usualy dry old branches are

collected

Word of significance

Daber is persumably the oldest tree

It is long living tree Have been playing under the shade

of this tree since I was a kid. (words of the old father in the picture)

Daber is a home away from home for farmers

With Special Acknowledgements to

Jaafar Hassan Alawi Al-JeffriDirector, Agriculture and Extension DepartmentTihama Development Authority REPUBLIC OF YEMEN

Prepared under the documentation programme of ILEIA