Ethnomycological Knowledge of Three Ethnic Groups in Ethiopia

Abstract

Ethnomycological information was gathered by conducting semi-structured interviews with members of the Amhara, Agew, and Sidama ethnic groups in Ethiopia. A total of 300 individuals were involved in this study. Forest excursions were also undertaken to investigate the habitat and to identify useful wild mushroom species present in the study areas. A total of 24 useful wild mushroom species were identified. Among the three ethnic groups, the Sidama have the most extensive ethnomycological knowledge and over seven vernacular names for useful fungal species were recorded for this group. Collecting mushrooms is common practice among the Sidama and usually carried out by women and children during the main rainy season from June to September. Useful mushrooms are collected in natural forests, plantation forests, grazing areas, home gardens, and swampy areas. In terms of medicinal uses, Lycoperdon perlatum Pers. and Calvatia rubroflava (Cragin) Lloyd. are well-known treatments for wounds and skin disease. Harvest storage of wild mushroom species is unknown. Respondents in the Amhara and Agew ethnic groups were similar in terms of their use and knowledge of mushrooms. Both ethnic groups reported that although wild mushroom species were consumed by their grandparents, they do not eat mushrooms themselves, which could eventually represent a loss of mycological knowledge in these two ethnic groups. Such inconsistency between ethnic groups in terms of their knowledge may also be linked to the social valuation of mushroom resources, which could easily be mitigated by raising awareness. Thus, the baseline information obtained in this study could be useful for further investigations and documentation, and to promote ethnomycological benefits to different ethnic groups in countries with similar settings.

Forest Type and Site Conditions Influence the Diversity and Biomass of Edible Macrofungal Species in Ethiopia

“…The collection of wild edible mushrooms by local people is a common practice, particularly in the southwestern parts of the country [ 11 ]. However, wild mushrooms are not considered important sources of food and medicine by rural communities in the northern part of the country [ 79 ]. This might be due to the continuing exodus of people from the countryside, which has meant that local communities are gradually losing their traditional knowledge, particularly about wild mushroom species.…”

Forest, Foods, and Nutrition

“…The ethnomycological knowledge was increased throughout semi-structured interviews with the Amhara, Agew, and Sidama ethnic groups in Ethiopia, as reported by Zeleke et al [24]. Vlad et al [25] studied and promoted blackberry as a traditional nutraceutical food resource from an area with high anthropogenic impact.…”

Biochemical and Molecular Profiling of Wild Edible Mushrooms from Huila, Angola

“…Knowledge about the uses and properties of WEMs has generally been passed from one generation to another by word of mouth and without written documentation. Although ethnomycological knowledge among African communities has been addressed in several published works [ 14 , 15 , 16 ], which document a wide range of traditional uses of WEMs for food and medicinal purposes, this subject remains largely unstudied. In many Tropical African countries, WEMs are an important food source, being largely consumed fresh in the periods of fruiting bodies development or dried along the year.…”