Underutilized wild edible plants in the Chilga District, northwestern Ethiopia: focus on wild woody plants

Abstract

Background: Ethiopia encompasses an extraordinary number of ecological zones and plant diversity. However, the diversity of plants is highly threatened due to lack of institutional capacity, population pressure, land degradation and deforestation. An adequate documentation of these plants also has not been conducted. The farmers in Ethiopia face serious and growing food insecurity caused by drought, land degradation and climate change. Thus, rural communities are dependent on underutilized wild edible plants to meet their food and nutritional needs. Hence, this study was conducted to examine the distribution, diversity, role, management condition and associated traditional knowledge of underutilized wild edible plants with a focus on woody plants in the Chilga District, northwestern Ethiopia. Methods: A questionnaire survey, semi-structured interviews, preference and direct matrix rankings, a market survey and focused group discussion methods were employed for data collection. Data were collected from 96 respondents. A plant inventory was also conducted on 144 quadrates in two agroecologies and in three uses. Both quantitative and qualitative data analysis methods were used. Statistical Analysis System (SAS) version 9.0 was used for statistical analysis. Analysis of Variance (P <0.05) was used to compare diversity indices and species richness between agroecologies and among kebeles. Results: Thirty-three underutilized wild edible plants were recorded in the study area. Of the recorded plants, 45% were trees. Fruits (76%) were the most frequently used plant parts. More than half of the respondents (56.3% in the midland and 66.7% in the lowland area) consumed underutilized wild edible plants for supplementing staple food. Underutilized wild edible plant citation of the poor was significantly higher (P <0.05) than medium and rich classes. Underutilized wild edible plants in the study area were threatened by agricultural expansion, overharvesting for fuel wood and construction, and by overgrazing. However, these plants have been given minimum conservation attention. Conclusions: Thirty-three underutilized wild edible plants were recorded in the study area. The community consumes underutilized wild edible plants for supplementing staple food, filling food gaps and for recreation. The local community applies only some management practices to some wild edible plants. Therefore, special management is needed to sustain the benefits of these plants.

Uses of wild edible plants in Quara district, northwest Ethiopia: implication for forest management

“…They are the means of survival and livelihood strategies for most of the rural people (pastoralists, shifting cultivators, continuous croppers or hunter-gatherers) [1,9] because of freely and easily accessed [10,11], their plant use knowledge [10,11], lack of alternative to secure their food demand [12], and are affordable [13]. Marginalized and poor communities such as women, children are more vulnerable to drought and thus are significantly dependent on these plants [6,9,14]. WEPs can improve diets, tide people in times of famine, drought and shocks, supplement income and provide genetic material for experimentation, medicine, cultural and spiritual values of the rural community [1,2,9,15].…”

“…Quara district, one of the lowland districts of northwestern Ethiopia, is rich in woodland forests and associated WEPs [18,19]. These woodland forests, also known as the great green wall of the Sahara desert [16], play a crucial role in buffering and checking the expansion of Sahara and Sahel deserts and supply of WEPs products [5,14]. However, the woodland forests are dwindling with anthropogenic factors such as free grazing, settlement, agricultural expansion and fire.…”

“…A few studies have been conducted on WEPs in Ethiopia, to cite a few: Demel and Abeje [3]; Guinand and Lemessa [6]; Fentahun and Hager [11]; Tebkew et al [14]; Assefa and Abebe [15]; Teklehaymainot and Gidey [17]; Balemie and Kebebew [20]; Asfaw [21] document WEPs; Hunde et al [22] studied on nutritional value. However, little has been done on the status of WEPs, indigenous knowledge for sustainable development, ecology/habitat/geographical distribution and impact of deforestation on the product [3].…”

Strengthening the resiliency of dryland forest-based livelihoods in Ethiopia and South Sudan: A review of literature on the interaction between dryland forests, livelihoods and forest governance

“…However, recent studies suggest that a small number of species provide the majority of wild plant foods (Bahru et al 2013;Tebkew et al 2014) and that fruits are the dominant type of wild, edible plants ( Asfaw and Tadesse 2001;Lulekal et al 2011). Preferred species vary by locality, even over relatively short distances (Tebkew et al 2014 Age and gender influence the extent to which households and individuals collect and consume wild foods, with children being the most frequent collectors and consumers of wild foods followed by women and then men (Lulekal et al 2011). …”

“…• species and parts of wild plants used as foods (Asfaw and Tadesse 2001;Balemie and Kebebaw 2006;Feyssa et al 2011a;Ocho et al 2012;Bahru et al 2013); • species and uses of plants with medicinal qualities (including veterinary medicine) (Feyssa et al 2011b;Mesfin et al 2012;Bahru et al 2013;Kidane et al 2014a); • individual and household characteristics associated with levels of use, preferences and knowledge of wild edible plants (Balemie and Kebebaw 2006;Feyssa et al 2011aFeyssa et al , 2011bBahru et al 2013;Tebkew et al 2014 • threats to wild edible or medicinal plant populations (Balemie and Kebebaw 2006;Feyssa et al 2011a;Tebkew et al 2014); • local management and conservation practices for wild edible and medicinal plants (Bahru et al 2013;Kidane et al 2014b;Tebkew et al 2014).…”