Usages et importance socio-économique du dattier du désert Balanites aegyptiaca (L.) Delile. au Bénin

Understanding local uses and the socio-economic importance of plant resources is essential for their sustainable management. The study focused on Balanites aegyptiaca, a neglected and underutilized wild fruit tree in Benin occurring mainly in the Sudanian phytogeographical zone. The objective was to assess local knowledge on the uses of the species as well as its socio-economic importance for local populations in relation to ethnic groups, age, sex, and phytodistrict. The data was collected through semi-structured individual interviews with 460 informants selected using random sampling. The data collected was related to uses, the socio-economic importance of use categories (on Likert scale) and local perception of the temporal dynamics of natural populations of the species. In total, following 136 specific uses were mentioned: medicinal (87); food (12); cosmetics (7); commercial (5); artisanal (4); fodder (2); other categories (19). Food (2.38 ± 0.06) and medicinal (1.80 ± 0.09) use categories stood with the highest use value. Use value and importance value index varied significantly (p ˂ 0.05) across ethnic groups, age groups and phytodistricts, but not between men and women. Adults and old people had greater knowledge than young people. The socio-economic importance was greater for the ethnic groups from the Eastern Mékrou-Pendjari phytodistrict where the use value and the importance value index were the highest. The species is regressing, and the main causes are agriculture (66.59%) and grazing (17.06%). The study provides preliminary information that can be further from the domestication of Balanites aegyptiaca in Benin.