Local communities in southern Africa derive many benefits from marula [Sclerocarya birrea(A.Rich.) Hochst.subsp.caffra(Sond.) Kokwaro].These include the contribution of this species towards health,nutrition,food security and conservation by sharing local skills and knowledge related to it.Marula fruits can be eaten fresh,squeezed to make juice,brewed in traditional beer or used to make jam and jelly.The kernels are also edible and can be pressed to extract oil for cooking and cosmetics,i.e.,for skin and hair application.The bark,roots,seeds and leaves are exploited for traditional medicinal purposes.Marula has acquired significant commercial value since its fruits and other products have entered local,regional and international trade in southern Africa.To diver-sify fruit production and satisfy the increasing demands for this resource,several domestication initiatives have been carried out at regional and international levels.The accumulated knowledge and skills relevant to the establishment and commercialization of marula therefore provide an effective guide in areas where marula remains undomesticated or underutilized.We discuss the great importance of marula in southern Africa to reveal its great potential to regions where it remains unexploited. Local communities in southern Africa derive many benefits from marula [Sclerocarya birrea (A.Rich.) Hochst.subsp.caffra (Sond.) Kokwaro] .sese include the contribution of this species to health, nutrition, food security and conservation by sharing local skills and knowledge related to it.Marula fruits can be eaten fresh, squeezed to make juice, brewed in traditional beer or used to make jam and jelly.The kernels are also edible and can be pressed to extract oil for cooking and cosmetics, ie, for skin and hair application.The bark, roots, seeds and leaves are exploited for traditional medicinal purposes. Marula has acquired significant commercial value since its fruits and other products have entered local, regional and international trade in southern Africa.To diver-sify fruit production and satisfy the increasing demands for this resource, several domestication initiatives have been carried out at regional and international levels. The accumulated knowledge and skills relevant to the establi shment and commercialization of marula therefore provide an effective guide in areas where marula remains undomesticated or underutilized. We discuss the great importance of marula in southern Africa to reveal its great potential to regions where it remains unexploited.