Gum arabic is a tree resin obtained from Acacia senegal, an endemic tree species to the African Sahel Zone. Recently, plantation cultivation of Acacia senegal has been introduced in Northern Nigeria and the 'modern' production of gum arabic is investigated by government institutions to promote future gum arabic production, alongside a thitherto predominant smallholder collection of gum arabic from so-called natural stands of Acacia senegal. The two ways of collecting or producing gum arabic - smallholder collection in natural stands and plantation cultivation of Acacia senegal - are compared...