Network for the Valorization of Plant Materials (VPMA)



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The International Development Research Centre (IDRC) has been promoting and funding research and development relating to the valorization of plant materials in Africa for more than ten years in order to generate income and provide jobs for local underpriviledged communities. 

A number of African researchers and local target communities, together with Canadian and European scientists, are involved in these activities. More than twenty projects have been implemented in thirteen countries throughout Africa: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ghana, Guinea, Malawi, Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, and Zimbabwe. The projects deal with a number of natural products, including essential oils such as the essential oils from Thyme, Verbena, Artemisia herba alba, Rosemary, Lemongrass, Citronella, Mints, Ocimums, Eucalyptus, Ammi visnaga, Pelargonium graveolens, Tagetes minuta, Clausena, anisata, Lippia multiflora, Melaleuca quinquinerva, etc., vegetable oils such as shea nut butter, neem oil, rubber seed oil, argan oil, etc., specific chemical products such as l-camphor, d-borneol, tabersonine, indigo, carraghenans, wood adhesives, wood preservatives, starch adhesives and value-added products from cassava. 

The Network for the Valorization of Plant Materials in Africa was set up in 1994, as a South-South and South-North collaborative mechanism, in order to stimulate fruitful synergies between member projects and researchers and to handle a number of common issues and problems. 

Over the last four years, the Network has promoted the development of knowledge related namely to the quality and marketing of natural products, natural resource management and participatory rural approaches. Other activities include setting up electronic mail communications between the people involved, developing a database on essential oils, training on project management, organizing meetings on natural products (St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Canada, 1995; Ottawa, Canada, 1998);  a workshop on the marketing of natural products and resource management (Zomba, Malawi, 1996) , and the dissemination of results achieved by member projects through funding of relevant small proposals. 

 



Page last modified 2 April 2000