Kalahari Melon SeedOil - Turning a drought-resistant weed into a high-value cosmetics ingredient

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Once considered a weed, the Kalahari Melon is an indigenous, hardy, well-established plant in South Africa, that is both easy to grow, can be grown in shallow-sandy soil and is extremely drought resistant. It is also rapid increasingly in value due to its adoption by the cosmetics industry, where it has demonstrated highly efficacious properties. - The KM's drought-resistance and ease to cultivate means it perfect crop to be grown by smallholders (~33m) in Sub-Saharan Africa, where climate change has left them most at risk of crop failure and poverty, due to their reliance on resource-intensive and temperature sensitive staple crops such as maize and wheat. - We believe the adoption of the KM and production of its high-value seed oil can become a £1bn industry by 2026 (based upon closest comparative natural cosmetic ingredient, Argan Oil's, rapid growth) and therefore become powerful tool for socio-economic development, helping farmers and smallholders in parts of Africa most affected by climate change. - Working with stakeholders from all stages of the supply chain- Smallholders&Farmers from the Kalahari Basin, The Sustainability Institute, KM oil distributors & Tropic Skincare cosmetics as we aim to evidence economic feasibility, cosmetic efficacy, best production practices & ultimately encourage the adoption of KM production.