Between 1993 and 1994, farmers in the rain forest zone of southeastern Nigeria were interviewed using structured and semi-structured questionnaires. The aim was to determine farmers' perception of the prevalence, uses, economic value and traits for improvement of Garcinia kola. Between 0 and 76% of respondents in different states within the zone owned G. kola trees. Number of farmers who owned G. kola trees tended to decrease from the south to the north of the zone. Most farmers owned only one G. kola tree and this was usually located in the food crops plot (38.2%) or home garden (27%). Farmers valued G. kola trees for their medicinal uses (41.8%), food/social value (31.7%), fuelwood (10.0%) and cash value (8.4%). Major management practices included weeding around the tree and manure application. Under such management practices trees yielded 6 to 15 kg/tree per year. To design a sustainable improvement programme for G. kola, issues of farmers' preferences, techniques for rapid mass seedling production, elucidation of phytochemistry/pharmacology of G. kola drugs, determination of optimum tree densities compatible with food crops and tree crops, and techniques for sustainable exploitation of G. kola must be addressed. The food crops plot is suggested as the best farm niche in which to execute the conservation programme for G. kola.