It is found in a wide range of environments in Africa and is primarily grown for its pods that contain both a sweet pulp and valuable seeds.

As a standing tree, locust bean may have a positive effect on the yield of nearby crops, like other leguminous plants.

[5] The pods of the tree, commonly referred to as locust beans, are pink in the beginning and turn dark brown when fully mature.

The use of fermented locust beans in West Africa was documented as early as the 14th century,[7] and described by Michel Adanson in his Histoire naturelle du Sénégal, published in 1757.

[8] Geographically, Parkia biglobosa can be found in a belt stretching from the Atlantic coast in Senegal to southern Sudan and northern Uganda.

[9] Seedlings typically reach 20-25 centimetres tall after 20 weeks in the nursery, at which point they can be planted out into the field; direct sowing is possible, but its viability largely depends on soil moisture and the degree of insect/rodent threats.

[9] Preliminary ploughing “contributes to proper establishment of seedlings in the field with a success rate of 82% four years” in some cases after planting.

[11] The relative index of soil productivity during this time clearly appreciated for locust bean, as well as the accumulation of P and organic C compared with neem.

[12] Despite this, chilli pepper yields (which were also affected by rain in the controlled plots) increased by up to 150% under the canopy of the locust bean tree.

Néré fruits are highly commercialized in Burkina Faso; "over 50% of respondents in a nation-wide survey said they participated in its trade.

In a survey conducted on healers in Togo, Parkia biglobosa was one of the highest cited plants used for treating hypertension.