Decline of Indigenous Crop Diversity in Colonial and Postcolonial Rwanda

Seburanga, Jean Leonard

doi:10.1155/2013/401938

Cited by 11 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…Efforts to preserve endangered species such as Prinus africana, Euphorbia tirucalli, Erythrina abyssinica, Ficus thonningii, and Dracaena afromontana are important based on their cultural, social, ecological, and medicinal values [8,38,78]. Converting wild habitats, such as forests, into agricultural lands and for commercial purposes are among the major contributors to the steep decline in medicinal plants and trees [31,77].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Prinus africana was reported to be a threatened species [38], but was later reported as extinct in Buhanga sacred forest due to the over-exploitation of both its leaves and bark as ingredients, while Chenopodium ugandae is on the list of priority species, for which the preservation of stored grains would prevent them from going extinct [33].…”

Section: The Role Of Medicinal Plant Species In Social Ecological and Cultural Welfarementioning

confidence: 99%

“…The populations of Euphorbia tirucalli, Erythrina abyssinica, Ficus thonningii, and Dracaena afromontana have heavily declined due to a shift from fencing with plants species to brick and concrete-walled fences [38].…”

Section: The Role Of Medicinal Plant Species In Social Ecological and Cultural Welfarementioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, research on traditional medicine has dated back to 1972 and it has helped to transform its image from a magical art to a trusted science [35]; it is estimated that 70% of the population in Rwanda uses traditional medicine [36]. The over-exploitation of medicinal plants for commercial purposes and the accelerated level of urbanization threaten the extinction of this precious heritage [37,38]. The European colonization introduced several invasive species which led to a significant decline in indigenous plants up to the verge of extinction [38].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The over-exploitation of medicinal plants for commercial purposes and the accelerated level of urbanization threaten the extinction of this precious heritage [37,38]. The European colonization introduced several invasive species which led to a significant decline in indigenous plants up to the verge of extinction [38]. The use of medicinal plants was attributed to poor people and was regarded as witchcraft [34].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Ethnobotany, Ethnopharmacology, and Phytochemistry of Medicinal Plants Used for Treating Human Diarrheal Cases in Rwanda: A Review

et al. 2021

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Diarrhea, often caused by microorganisms, has been associated with high morbidity and mortality in Africa. Increased rates of antimicrobial-resistant pathogens have reignited the quest for alternative therapies. This review aimed at identifying medicinal plants used in the treatment of human diarrheal cases in Rwanda and analyzing their ethnobotany, ethnopharmacology, and phytochemistry. We searched PubMed/Medline, Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, and the Web of Science for published articles on medicinal plants used to treat diarrhea in Rwanda. Additionally, specialized herbarium documents of different institutes were reviewed. Articles were assessed for relevance, quality, and taxonomical accuracy before being included in this review. Overall, 63 species of medicinal plants belonging to 35 families were recorded. Asteraceae was the predominant family with six species, followed by Fabaceae and Lamiaceae, with five species each. The most reported species with anti-diarrheal properties were Vernonia amygdalina Delile, Tetradenia riparia (Hochst.) Codd, Clerodendrum myricoides R. Br., and Chenopodium ugandae (Aellen) Aellen. Leaves (66.7%) and roots (17.5%) were the commonly used plant parts in the preparation of medicine. Phytochemicals from medicinal plants with antidiarrheic activities were sesquiterpene lactones (V. amygdalina); terpene, sterols, saponosides, and flavonoids (C. ugandae); saponins and tannins (T. riparia); and tannins, flavonoids, and alkaloids (C. myricoides). Six studies tested the antimicrobial activities of the plants against bacteria and viruses known to cause diarrhea. Erythrina abyssinica, Euphorbia tirucalli, Dracaena afromontana, and Ficus thonningii are socio-culturally important. Further research on toxicity and posology is needed to ensure the safety of medicinal plants.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Role Of Medicinal Plant Species In Social Ecological and Cultural Welfarementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Role Of Medicinal Plant Species In Social Ecological and Cultural Welfarementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Ethnobotany, Ethnopharmacology, and Phytochemistry of Medicinal Plants Used for Treating Human Diarrheal Cases in Rwanda: A Review

et al. 2021

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Traditional Food Plants in the Face of Global Change: Past, Present, and Future

Anju

Kumar

2022

Annual Plant Reviews Online

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Traditional food plant s ( TFP s) are highly nutritious and contain health beneficial metabolites, vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients. Various communities across the globe, especially in the rural areas, rely on the locally available TFPs for their nutritional and health‐related needs. The TFPs are considered important because they are locally available alternative sources of food and nutrition. However, they remain largely neglected to date despite their huge nutritional importance and potential. Interest in TFPs has recently increased especially because of the disruptions of the food supply chains caused by recurrent lockdowns during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Interruptions to long‐distance food supply chains expose the vulnerabilities associated with the globalised interconnected food systems. Recent literature suggests that localised food systems are more resilient, sustainable, and adaptive especially during times of pandemics, civil unrest, and conflicts. Since TFPs offer several benefits over the globalised mainstream food systems, it is important to explore their roles and develop research strategies to provide insights and to support their more widespread use in future. Scientists and food and nutrition experts also suggest that the post‐pandemic situation will compel food scientists, breeders, and crop bioengineers to realign their approach towards food production and consumption systems that are more locally suited. Significant knowledge has been gained through basic research on the diversity and availability of a plethora of TFPs in various parts of the world, including India, Africa, and South America. Limited genetic and genomic studies have also been performed with TFPs, and they provide very important insights into important genes and other regulators governing nutritional and stress‐resilient traits in neglected crops. Some crops are shown to have better traits than the currently available mainstream crops. Many studies have pointed towards cultivation, domestication, and improvement of regionally important TFPs for better climate resilience, sustainability, and adaptability. While very few TFPs have been genetically edited successfully, and gene‐edited TFPs are not commercially available yet, there is increasing evidence that there is a huge potential for the revitalisation and introduction of these ancient crops to the mainstream food baskets of the public. In this review article, we critically examine the TFPs and their regional importance in the local traditional food systems. The richness of TFPs during the ancient period and various reasons for their disappearance from the food basket, the re‐emergence of TFPs by recognising their importance in the present scenario, and the criteria for utilisation of TFPs to attain food security in the future are discussed comprehensively in the review. We provide a futuristic outlook on the importance, scope, and progress on the improvement of TFPs for valuable traits for ensuring food security of the burgeoning global population.

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Indigenous crop diversity maintained despite the introduction of major global crops in an African centre of agrobiodiversity

Rampersad

Geto

Samuel

et al. 2023

Plants People Planet

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Societal Impact StatementThe global success and expansion of a small pool of major crops, including rice, wheat and maize, risks homogenising global agriculture. Focusing on the agriculturally diverse Ethiopian Highlands, this study tested whether farm diversity tends to be lower among farmers who grow more introduced crops. Surprisingly, it was found that farmers have successfully integrated introduced crops, resulting in more diverse and heterogenous farms without negatively impacting indigenous crop diversity. This is encouraging because diverse farms, comprising indigenous agricultural systems supplemented by introduced crops, may help address global challenges such as food insecurity.Summary The global expansion of a handful of major crops risks eroding indigenous crop diversity and homogenising agroecosystems, with significant consequences for sustainable and resilient food systems. Here, we investigate the farm‐scale impact of introduced crops on indigenous agroecosystems. We surveyed 1369 subsistence farms stratified across climate gradients in the Ethiopian Highlands, a hotspot of agrobiodiversity, to characterise the richness and cultivated area of the 83 edible crops they contained. We further categorise these crops as being indigenous to Ethiopia, or introduced across three different eras. We apply non‐metric multidimensional scaling and mixed effects modelling to characterise agroecosystem composition across farms with different proportions of introduced crops. Crops from different periods do not differ significantly in frequency or abundance across farms. Among geographically matched pairs of farms, those with higher proportions of modern introduced crops had significantly higher overall crop richness. Furthermore, farms with a high proportion of modern introduced crops showed higher heterogeneity in crop composition. An analysis of socio‐economic drivers indicated that poverty is negatively associated with the cultivated area of introduced crops. In our Ethiopian case study, global patterns of major crop expansion are not necessarily associated with agrobiodiversity loss at the farm scale or higher homogeneity across indigenous agricultural systems. Importantly, socioeconomic factors may influence farmers' propensity to adopt novel species, suggesting targets for agricultural extension policies. Given the rapid climatic, economic and demographic changes impacting global food systems and the threats to food security these entail, robust indigenous agricultural systems enriched with diverse introduced crops may help maintain resilience.

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Decline of Indigenous Crop Diversity in Colonial and Postcolonial Rwanda

Cited by 11 publications

References 23 publications

Ethnobotany, Ethnopharmacology, and Phytochemistry of Medicinal Plants Used for Treating Human Diarrheal Cases in Rwanda: A Review

Ethnobotany, Ethnopharmacology, and Phytochemistry of Medicinal Plants Used for Treating Human Diarrheal Cases in Rwanda: A Review

Traditional Food Plants in the Face of Global Change: Past, Present, and Future

Indigenous crop diversity maintained despite the introduction of major global crops in an African centre of agrobiodiversity

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