article · Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
An ethnobotanical investigation in the Tach Gayint district of northwestern Ethiopia documented 36 wild edible plant species used by local households. Researchers gathered data from 175 local informants using interviews, focus groups, and guided field walks, applying ranking techniques to analyse the findings. Shrubs made up 42 percent of the identified species, herbs accounted for 36 percent, and trees comprised 22 percent. Fruits were the most frequently consumed plant part, followed by young shoots, leaves, and flowers, with 86 percent of the documented plants eaten raw. Younger people herding cattle carried out most of the harvesting. Opuntia ficus-indica emerged as the most preferred species due to its sweet fruit, whilst Cordia africana was the most used multipurpose species. However, agricultural expansion, fuel collection, and timber use threaten several of these native resources.
Wild edible plants provide essential supplemental nutrition and materials to rural communities, particularly during daily livestock herding. Documenting which species local communities rely on helps identify valuable indigenous food sources. Understanding the threats to these plants, especially from agricultural expansion and deforestation, provides crucial baseline evidence needed to guide local conservation measures and encourage the cultivation of vital species in home gardens.
This early-stage ethnobotanical research identifies wild plant species with local dietary and practical value, notably Opuntia ficus-indica and Cordia africana. Agriculturalists, local growers, and horticultural researchers could potentially use these findings to domesticate and cultivate preferred edible species in home gardens. However, the work remains at an exploratory survey stage, with no immediate commercial products, processing methods, or business pathways tested or developed in the study.
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The purpose of this study was to carry out an ethnobotanical and ethnopharmacological investigation on wild edible plants and their value to households in the Tach Gayint district of South Gondar Zone of northwestern Ethiopia. A total of 175 informants (56 women and 119 males) were interviewed for ethnobotanical data, and 25 of them were key informants. Data collection techniques included semistructured interviews, guided field walks, and focus group discussions. Quantitative analytical tools were employed for ethnobotanical methods including preference ranking and direct matrix ranking techniques to analyse the data. 36 species of wild edible plants have been identified in the study area. Of these plant species, shrubs account for 15 (42%), followed by herbs 13 (36%) and trees 8 (22%). Regarding the edible parts, fruits account for 19 (53%) followed by young shoots, leaves, and flowers, 4 (11%) for each. These plant species are eaten raw (86%) or cooked (14%) and most are collected by younger people for herding cattle. According to the preference ranking analysis, the fruit of Opuntia ficus-indica is the most preferred plant species because its sweet taste. Although Cordia africana , the most commonly used multipurpose wild edible plant species, is mostly exploited due to human activity, activities such as the production of charcoal, the gathering of firewood, the construction of homes, and the use of agricultural tools all played a significant role in the plant’s eventual extinction. In the study area, agricultural expansion was the main cause of putting wild edible plants in danger. It is best to cultivate and manage edible plants in a backyard garden and to perform more research on popular edible plant species.
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DOI: 10.1155/2023/7837615
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