AFCADDE, Ethiopia — A historic drought in the Horn of Africa is threatening the survival of myrrh trees in Ethiopia's Somali region, putting at risk both a centuries-old tradition and the livelihoods of some of the world's poorest communities who depend on harvesting the resin for survival.
The myrrh resin used in luxury perfumes sold for as much as $500 per bottle is under severe pressure from water scarcity, with trees weakened by drought and nibbled by starving livestock. While fashion brands including Tom Ford, Comme des Garcons and Jo Malone profit from perfumes made with the resin, local harvesters receive as little as $3.50 per kilogram—and as much as $10—for their labor, highlighting a stark inequality in an opaque supply chain where middlemen capture most of the value.
Communities Bear the Burden
Researchers supported by the American Herbal Products Association and Born Global visited the region earlier this year to assess the crisis. They found that adult trees are producing less resin and fewer young trees are surviving the changing climate. Local elder Mohamed Osman Miyir explained the compounding pressures: "Unfortunately, many seedlings are uprooted by children who graze their livestock nearby, and the animals often eat the buds of the young trees," adding, "We are deeply worried about the declining population of myrrh trees."
The annual rains have been failing over the past several years, interrupted in 2023 by devastating flooding. Experts blamed the changing climate. While the arid region has long experienced droughts, this one has been historic. Villagers now spend their days hauling water for themselves and their livestock, with herders traveling as far as 200 kilometers to Sanqotor village, which has a rare well with water. Local headman Ali Mohamed described the dire situation: "Guests water animals first, then the villagers," while watching hundreds of livestock crowd around the well. The poorest residents rely solely on tree resin like myrrh for their survival.
Traditional Practices Under Threat
The research team was led by Anjanette DeCarlo, an expert in sustainable supply chains and resins at the University of Vermont, and Stephen Johnson, a 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. DeCarlo said, "Traditional practice is in balance and protects trees. It should be celebrated."
Myrrh has been used in beauty, health and religious practices since at least ancient Egypt. Ethiopia is a major source of the resin, which is hand-harvested using traditional methods that have not changed and help protect the trees while producing the highest quality resin. But the hand-harvested nature of myrrh also raises its price, while those doing the work see little of the profit.
Dahir Yousef Abdi, a guide from the Somali Region Pastoral and Agro-pastoral Research Institute, demonstrated ink made from myrrh in Sanqotor. In Islamic tradition, myrrh is turned into a black ink used only for writing the Quran and symbolizes the connection between the word and the divine. Myrrh also burns in traditional clay vessels in homes to ward off bugs and snakes and to fumigate them.
Hope for Direct Market Access
For now, most myrrh from this part of eastern Ethiopia is purchased by traders from neighboring Somalia, and Ethiopia collects no taxes on the goods. Local residents hope more visibility will help them as the climate crisis threatens their ways of life. Abdinasir Abdikadir Aweys, senior researcher with the Somali Regional Pastoral and Agro-Pastoral Research Institute and a member of the research team, said, "They expressed hope that a direct market would enable them to secure better prices, ensuring sustainable livelihoods."
The resin from this part of eastern Ethiopia feeds global markets, and curiosity about myrrh's other potential uses is growing as global interest in natural remedies increases. The researchers worried that without proper rain, other young trees are likely to fail, and DeCarlo worried that eventually even the adult trees will die.
Why This Matters:
The crisis facing myrrh harvesters in Ethiopia's Somali region illustrates how climate change disproportionately impacts vulnerable communities who contribute least to global emissions yet depend directly on natural resources for survival. While luxury brands profit handsomely from perfumes containing Ethiopian myrrh, local harvesters receive a fraction of the value they create, trapped in supply chains that favor middlemen over producers. The threat to myrrh trees represents not just an environmental loss but an economic justice issue, as the poorest residents who rely solely on tree resin face the collapse of their livelihoods without adequate support or fair compensation. Direct market access and better prices could help these communities adapt to climate pressures while preserving traditional sustainable practices that protect the trees and produce the highest quality resin.