AFCADDE, Ethiopia — The critical note in some of the world’s most well-known perfumes is myrrh, a tree resin from the Horn of Africa that is under pressure from what experts describe as a historic drought.
Threatened by lack of water and nibbled by starving livestock, the trees that once formed a dense forest in Ethiopia’s Somali region are in danger, local residents say.
Earlier this year, researchers supported by the American Herbal Products Association visited a source of the prized resin that makes its way to global markets from some of the most vulnerable places on Earth. The goal: to ensure that those who harvest the resin receive more of the direct profits instead of middlemen along the opaque supply chain.
Ancient Resin, Modern Challenges
Ethiopia is a major source of myrrh, which has been used in beauty, health, and religious practices since at least ancient Egypt. Traditional harvesting in the region has remained unchanged, which helps protect the trees and produces the highest quality resin.
Myrrh’s hand-harvested nature raises its price, but those doing the work see little of the profit. Collecting a kilogram (2.2 pounds) of the resin brings as little as $3.50 and as much as $10.
That amount is far from the prices for the perfumes it helps create, which are marketed by well-known fashion brands including Tom Ford, Comme des Garcons, and Jo Malone, and sold at prices as high as $500 a bottle.
Meanwhile, curiosity about myrrh’s other potential uses is growing with increased global interest in natural remedies.
For now, most myrrh from this part of eastern Ethiopia is purchased by traders from neighboring Somalia. Ethiopia collects no taxes on the goods.
Researchers Seek Fairer Trade
Locals hope more visibility will help them as the climate crisis threatens their ways of life.
“They expressed hope that a direct market would enable them to secure better prices, ensuring sustainable livelihoods,” said Abdinasir Abdikadir Aweys, senior researcher with the Somali Regional Pastoral and Agro-Pastoral Research Institute and a member of the research team.
The researchers were led by Anjanette DeCarlo, an expert in sustainable supply chains and resins at the University of Vermont, and Stephen Johnson, resin expert and owner of FairSource Botanicals. They found that communities practice traditional harvesting by collecting resin from trees’ naturally occurring wounds instead of making intentional cuts, which makes trees more vulnerable to pests and disease.
“Traditional practice is in balance and protects trees. It should be celebrated,” DeCarlo said.
Drought Threatens Tree Survival
But the drought worried the team. The annual rains have been failing over the past several years, interrupted in 2023 by devastating flooding.
The arid region has long experienced droughts, but this one has been historic. Experts have blamed changing climate patterns.
Myrrh harvesting is now threatened. While adult trees are generally healthy, they are producing less resin. And fewer young trees are surviving.
“Unfortunately, many seedlings are uprooted by children who graze their livestock nearby, and the animals often eat the buds of the young trees,” said a local elder, Mohamed Osman Miyir, adding: “We are deeply worried about the declining population of myrrh trees.”
Without proper rain, other young trees are likely to fail. DeCarlo expressed concern that eventually even the adult trees will die.
Harsh Living Conditions
Villagers’ days are spent hauling water for themselves and their livestock. Herders travel over parched, cracked earth as far as 200 kilometers to Sanqotor village, which has a rare well with water.
“Guests water animals first, then the villagers,” said local headman Ali Mohamed, watching hundreds of livestock crowd around the well.
But not everyone has livestock to survive. The poorest residents rely solely on tree resin like myrrh for their survival.
Environmental Challenges in Somalia
The myrrh crisis in Ethiopia’s Somali region mirrors broader environmental challenges facing the Horn of Africa. Somalia continues to grapple with recurring drought conditions that have displaced thousands and threatened pastoralist livelihoods across the country.
The Federal Government of Somalia has prioritized drought response and environmental resilience as key components of its national development strategy, recognizing that climate change poses an existential threat to communities dependent on natural resources for survival.
