Gum arabic, golden blobs of resin tapped from thorny acacia trees, is an emulsifying agent virtually irreplaceable for global industry. The ingredient is used in everything from soft drinks to chewing gum and pharmaceuticals.
Moussa faces a constant struggle with the shortage of water in largely desert Sudan. His earnings from the trees barely"provide enough money to buy water to cover us until the autumn" rainy season.
He cultivates other crops to help boost his income from the trees, whose bark he cuts with a"sunki" -- a sharp blade attached to a long wooden shaft able to reach up high in the tree. Sudanese exports account for 70 percent of global gum supplies, according to AFD, the French agency for development.
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