The Case Study of Shea Butter in Sub-Saharan Africa Colleen Claire Naughton University of South Florida, [email protected]
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University of South Florida Scholar Commons Graduate Theses and Dissertations Graduate School 2-2-2016 Modeling Food Security, Energy, and Climate and Cultural Impacts of a Process: the Case Study of Shea Butter in Sub-Saharan Africa Colleen Claire Naughton University of South Florida, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd Part of the Civil Engineering Commons, Environmental Engineering Commons, and the Social and Cultural Anthropology Commons Scholar Commons Citation Naughton, Colleen Claire, "Modeling Food Security, Energy, and Climate and Cultural Impacts of a Process: the Case Study of Shea Butter in Sub-Saharan Africa" (2016). Graduate Theses and Dissertations. http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/6000 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Modeling Food Security, Energy, and Climate and Cultural Impacts of a Process: the Case Study of Shea Butter in Sub-Saharan Africa by Colleen Claire Naughton A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Civil Engineering Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering College of Engineering University of South Florida Major Professor: James R. Mihelcic, Ph.D. Maya A. Trotz, Ph.D. Fenda Akiwumi, Ph.D. Norma Alcantar, Ph.D. Tara Deubel, Ph.D. Date of Approval: January 13, 2016 Keywords: Life Cycle Assessment, Gender, Geographic Information Systems, Ethnography, Sustainable Development Goals Copyright © 2016, Colleen Claire Naughton Dedication I dedicate this dissertation, associated research and completion of my doctoral degree to Mr. Steve Chisnell, my family, members of the Zeala Women’s Shea Butter Cooperative, and Dr. James R. Mihelcic. Mr. Steve Chisnell was my model United Nations adviser, English teacher, and mentor in high school and beyond. Without the knowledge, life lessons and experiences he imparted on me, I would not have developed my passion for global service and sustainable development and, thus, pursued the Peace Corps. To my family, particularly the powerful women in my life, my mother, my Nana, and my Aunts Lori and Lisa who taught me about hard work, determination, and gave me constant love and support throughout my education and research and service in Mali. Of course, to the amazing women of the Zeala Shea Butter Cooperative. Without their participation, this dissertation would not have been possible. They taught me everything about shea butter and more. To Dr. James R. Mihelcic and his wife, Karen, for their invaluable support of my professional development and personal growth that goes above and beyond. Acknowledgements I would like to thank my adviser, Dr. James R. Mihelcic, and my committee members, Drs. Trotz, Akiwumi, Deubel, and Alcantar and my dissertation chair, Dr. Durham, for their guidance and support throughout this process. Furthermore, I acknowledge the U.S. Peace Corps (PC), specifically the PC-Mali program and staff for their support of this research through the Master’s International Program. Also, this research would not have been possible without the collaboration with the community of Zeala in Mali. A special thanks to the shea expert, Dr. Peter Lovett, for sharing his wealth of knowledge about shea and his collaboration on the publication of the shea tree land suitability model. Moreover, I would like to acknowledge fellow graduate students and friends at the University of South Florida particularly Emily Adams and those on the Reclaim social media team (Matthew Verbyla, Emma Lopez, Suzie Boxman, and Mark Santana) for their support and development of my research. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant Nos. 1243510 and 0965743 and the U.S. Department of Education GAANN P200A090162. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this report are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation or U.S. Department of Education. From 2013-2014, the author held an American Fellowship from the American Association of University Women (AAUW). Table of Contents List of Tables ................................................................................................................................. iv List of Figures ............................................................................................................................... vii Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... xi Chapter 1: Introduction ....................................................................................................................1 1.1 Motivation and Significance ..........................................................................................1 1.2 Research Gaps ................................................................................................................3 1.3 Research Goal and Objectives and Dissertation Synopsis .............................................4 Chapter 2: Land Suitability Modeling of Shea (Vitellaria paradoxa) Distribution across Sub-Saharan Africa ....................................................................................................................6 2.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................6 2.2 Materials and Methods ...................................................................................................8 2.2.1 Sub-Species Distribution ................................................................................8 2.2.2 High and Low Stearin Shea Butter .................................................................9 2.2.3 Precipitation ..................................................................................................10 2.2.4 Temperature ..................................................................................................11 2.2.5 Elevation .......................................................................................................12 2.2.6 Soils...............................................................................................................12 2.2.7 Land Use .......................................................................................................14 2.2.8 Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) .......................................14 2.2.9 Fire ................................................................................................................15 2.2.10 Coasts, Urban Areas, and Equator ..............................................................15 2.2.11 Calculations.................................................................................................16 2.2.12 Validation and Verification.........................................................................19 2.2.13 Limitations ..................................................................................................20 2.3 Results and Discussion ................................................................................................20 2.4 Conclusions ..................................................................................................................27 Chapter 3: Modeling Food Security, Energy, and Climate Impacts of Traditional and Improved Shea Butter Production in Sub-Saharan Africa .......................................................30 3.1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................30 3.2 Materials and Methods .................................................................................................34 3.2.1 Study Location ..............................................................................................34 3.2.2 Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) ......................................................................36 3.2.2.1 Description of LCA Methods.........................................................36 3.2.2.1.1 Process-based LCA .........................................................37 i 3.2.2.1.2 Economic Input-Output LCA (EIO-LCA) ......................38 3.2.2.1.3 Human Energy ................................................................40 3.2.2.2 Definition of Goal and Scope ........................................................41 3.2.2.3 Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) ............................................................44 3.2.2.3.1 Weighing .........................................................................44 3.2.2.3.2 Firewood .........................................................................48 3.2.2.3.2.1 Human Energy of Firewood Collection ...........50 3.2.2.3.2.2 Embodied Energy of Firewood ........................51 3.2.2.3.2.3 Firewood and Process-based LCA ...................51 3.2.2.3.3 Harvest ............................................................................53 3.2.2.3.4 Depulp .............................................................................58 3.2.2.3.5 Heat .................................................................................59 3.2.2.3.6 Dry ..................................................................................61 3.2.2.3.7 Dehusk