West African Shea Processors in a Changing Global Market: Effects of Market Integration on Traditional Knowledge Resilience

Abstract Indigenous and local communities are experiencing rapid integration into globalized markets, affecting the evolution of their traditional knowledge systems. This paper employs the knowledge transitions framework to examine the complex interplay between market forces and traditional knowledge, focusing on the rapidly expanding shea value chain in Ghana and Burkina Faso from 2010 to 2020. A survey of 1070 households reveals that the stages of knowledge transition—erosion, retention, adaptation, and hybridization—are linked to various aspects of market integration. Corporate-driven training and improved accessibility are driving homogenization of processing methods and integration into the global markets, prioritizing commercial trade over subsistence consumption. This agrarian transition threatens traditional practices such as local butter production and risks reducing local agency, particularly in an oligopolistic market dominated by a few transnational corporations. In contrast, self-consumption and local market supply continue to support adaptation to environmental conditions, preserving diversity in processing methods and butter production. Women’s control over post-harvest processes emerges as a critical source of agency, fostering practice diversity and livelihood resilience amidst these transformations. The study highlights the dynamic processes shaping traditional knowledge in an increasingly interconnected world, emphasizing the importance of balancing global market integration with the preservation of traditional knowledge systems.