BackgroundTanzania is a wild orchid biodiversity hotspot and has a high prevalence of HIV/AIDS. The wild orchids in the study are endemic and protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. Every year, however, between 2.2 and 4.1 million orchid plants consumed in Zambia are estimated as originating from Tanzania. This research examines the differences between HIV/AIDS wild edible orchid gatherers and non-HIV/AIDS gatherers with regards to the frequency of gathering, salience in naming the various orchids, gathering knowledge acquisition and perceptions regarding the current state of abundance of the edible species.MethodsData was collected through interviews with 224 individuals in the Makete District of Tanzania close to the boarder of Zambia. Free-listings were conducted and Sutrup's Cultural Significance Index (CSI) constructed. The independent t-test was used to compare the differences in gathering frequencies between affected and non-affected gatherers. A multiple comparison of the 4 subgroups (affected adults and children, and non-affected adults and children) in gathering frequencies was done with a one way ANOVA test and its post hoc test. To examine the difference between affected and non-affected gatherers difference in source of gathering knowledge, a chi square test was run.ResultsForty two vernacular names of gathered orchid species were mentioned corresponding to 7 botanical species belongs to genera Disa, Satyrium, Habenaria, Eulophia and Roeperocharis. Ninety-seven percent of HIV/AIDS affected households state that orchid gathering is their primary economic activity compared to non-HIV/AIDS affected households at 9.7 percent. The HIV/AIDS affected gathered significantly more often than the non-affected. AIDS orphans, however, gathered most frequently. Gatherers perceive a decreasing trend of abundance of 6 of the 7 species. Gathering activities were mainly performed in age based peer groups. The results revealed a significant difference between affected and non-affected individuals in terms of their source of gathering knowledge.ConclusionsHIV/AIDS is related to increased reliance on the natural environment. This appears even more so for the most vulnerable, the AIDS orphaned children followed by HIV/AIDS widows.

This paper examines the gathering of wild orchids and its effect on orchid species diversity and abundance in rural communities with high prevalence of HIV/AIDS and high numbers of orphans. The study was conducted in three villages in the Makete District of Tanzania. The study used a triangulation of ethnobotanical, anthropological and sociological methodologies. On the three gathering sites, we found a total of 12 different orchid species (7 edible and 5 non-edible ones) confirmed by an expert botanist, although local gatherers identified many more species. The Shannon-Wiener diversity index significantly differed among the three gathering sites. Analyses of focus group discussions and household surveys revealed that HIV/AIDS orphans and non-orphan children were the main gatherers of wild orchids. HIV/AIDS orphans (n~55) gathered significantly more frequently (4.1 ± 1.8 times per week) than non-orphan children (n~49; 1.9 ± I.3 times per week) (P < 0.01). There was a statistically significant interaction between village and type of gatherer (P < 0.05). Scattered observations of changes in orchid species abundance over time were done using gatherers' indigenous knowledge and opinions. Orchid abundance peaked during May 2006. The study showed increasing abundance of non-edible orchid species and decreasing abundance of edible ones. There were highly significant, linear negative relationships between gathering pressure on the one hand and total number of orchid plants, total number of orchid species, number of edible orchid plants and number of edible orchid species on the other. These relationships were not statistically significant for non-edible orchids. We surmise that gathering edible orchid tubers is likely to become unsustainable, because once its tuber is harvested the plant does not recover or survive.

We investigated the role of gathering and selling the edible tubers of wild orchids by children orphaned by AIDS as one of their livelihood strategies, through a household survey administered to 152 households in three villages in the Southern Highlands of Tanzania during 2006 and 2007. Additionally, several household heads were selected as case studies and subjected to an in-depth life-history interview. Overall, most households in the study villages were very poor. We made comparisons within a total sample of 57 households headed by children orphaned by AIDS, 43 adult female-headed AIDS-affected households, and 52 adult male-headed non-AIDS-affected households in terms of food security and wealth outcomes after engaging in orchid tuber-gathering activities. The findings reveal that the majority of the orphan heads of households regarded the gathering and selling of wild orchid tubers as the best option for satisfying their basic needs. This category of households gathered more orchid tubers than the male-headed non-AIDS-affected households but not more than the female-headed AIDS-affected households. Children in these households spent more time on tuber-gathering activities than did members of the other households but had fewer household assets. Almost all the orphan-headed households depended on the cash obtained from selling orchid tubers to purchase food throughout the year. However, we surmise that gathering and selling wild orchid tubers fails to pull these children out of poverty and functions merely as a survival strategy.