‘I used to be ashamed’. The influence of an educational program on tribal and non-tribal children's knowledge and valuation of wild food plants

Cruz-García, Gisella S.; Howard, Patricia L.

doi:10.1016/j.lindif.2013.03.001

Cited by 13 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 16 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…This perception is understood as the association of wild plant consumption with low social status. Similar observations have been reported previously [ 12 , 13 , 39 - 43 ].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

“I eat the manofê so it is not forgotten”: local perceptions and consumption of native wild edible plants from seasonal dry forests in Brazil

Cruz

Medeiros

Sarmiento

et al. 2014

J Ethnobiology Ethnomedicine

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundThere is little information available on the factors influencing people’s selection of wild plants for consumption. Studies suggest a suitable method of understanding the selection of edible plants is to assess people’s perceptions of these resources. The use and knowledge of wild resources is disappearing, as is the opportunity to use them. This study analyzes people’s perceptions of native wild edible plants in a rural Caatinga (seasonal dry forest) community in Northeast Brazil and the relationships between the use of these resources and socioeconomic factors.MethodsSemi-structured interviews with 39 people were conducted to form a convenience sample to gather information regarding people’s perceptions of 12 native wild edible plant species. The relationships between variables were assessed by simple linear regression analysis, Pearson and Spearman correlation analyses, and in the case of nominal variables, contingency tables. The discourse of participants regarding their opinions of the use of wild plants as food was analyzed through the collective subject discourse analysis technique.ResultsPerceptions were classified into 18 categories. The most cited category was organoleptic characteristics of the edible part; more specifically, flavor. Flavor was the main positive perception associated with plant use, whereas the negative perception that most limited the use of these plants was cultural acceptance. Perceptions of the use of wild edible plants were directly correlated with both interviewee age and income.ConclusionWithin the studied community, people’s perceptions of native wild edible plants are related to their consumption. Moreover, the study found that young people have less interest in these resources. These findings suggest that changing perceptions may affect the conservation of plants, traditional practices and the associated knowledge.

show abstract

“…This perception is understood as the association of wild plant consumption with low social status. Similar observations have been reported previously [ 12 , 13 , 39 - 43 ].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

“I eat the manofê so it is not forgotten”: local perceptions and consumption of native wild edible plants from seasonal dry forests in Brazil

Cruz

Medeiros

Sarmiento

et al. 2014

J Ethnobiology Ethnomedicine

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Most of the educators we spoke with, including administrators and district education personnel, were not aware that their students had low levels of TEK compared to moran, or that TEK loss by students was a concern of elders in their community. Although formal education has been implicated as a barrier to TEK transmission in other indigenous communities it has also been suggested in the literature that western and traditional pedagogies are not inevitable competitors [ 25 , 28 , 47 , 48 ]. In fact, researchers contend that with leadership and willingness to adapt, formal education can be leveraged to facilitate TEK transmission [ 47 , 48 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A comparison of traditional plant knowledge between students and herders in northern Kenya

Bruyere

Trimarco

Lemungesi

2016

J Ethnobiology Ethnomedicine

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundThe Samburu region of northern Kenya is undergoing significant change, driven by factors including greater value on formal education, improvements in infrastructure and development, a shift from community to private ownership of land, increased sedentary lifestyles and global climate change. One outcome of these changes are an increasingly greater likelihood for adolescent boys to be enrolled in school rather than herding livestock on behalf of the family in a landscape shared with numerous native vegetation and wildlife species.MethodsThis study compared identification and knowledge of native plant species between boys enrolled in school with boys of similar age but primary responsibility as herders, called moran. Study participants walked an approximately 100 m path with 10 flagged points in which they were asked to identify any plant species at that point and associated facts of each species, within a 1 m radius.ResultsOn average, moran identified 38 species compared to 20 for students, including nearly 13 (of a possible 15) species considered to have high cultural significance. Students identified an average of 8.6 culturally-significant plants. Further, moran shared nearly 18 correct facts about the plants, compared with ten for students. In addition, herding frequency was the only significant predictor of plant identification in a linear regression.ConclusionThe results demonstrate that while formal education undoubtedly provides benefits to students, attendance in school in lieu of the traditional role of herders has consequences on young men in Samburu related to ability to identify native and culturally-significant plants. This further shows the importance for communities like those in Samburu undergoing change need to develop alternative options to transmit local traditional knowledge to its younger generations.

show abstract

“…Given that many forest communities have used WEP for millennia, it is not surprising that they are highly preferred and deeply embedded in local culture via stories, recipes, traditions, taboos, ceremonies and celebrations [13,17]. However, despite this embeddedness, both the taste and culture of WEPs evolve through exposure to new foods, recipes, contexts and social pressures and norms [2,17,31]. Additionally, WEPs have other functions, such as improving the taste and quality of food [27] which increases the palatability and intake of other foods, such as staples or proteins.…”

Section: Main Roles Of Weps In Local Diets Food Security and Nutritionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…One reason could be that WEPs present many similar categories like conventional foods and are often packed into the same food groups. However, in field surveys, they are often disregarded or because they have a local-based consumption pattern which is often not standardized and are relegated in some communities or associated with poverty and misery [2,5,17]. As such, household members easily list the cultivated species which are known and fit clearly into food group categories.…”

Section: Strengths and Weaknesses Of Past Studies On Wepsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Food insecurity is driven on the one hand by limited access to nutrient-rich foods and on the other hand by high levels of poverty, limited accessibility to diverse diets and social insecurity. Taking the case of accessibility to nutrient-rich foods and diet diversity, there exists a wide range of naturally existing food sources like wild edible plants (WEPs) that are underutilized in most poor communities either due to ignorance, shame or misconception about these foods [2][3][4][5]. Overall, local people make use of 7000 plant species for food and other uses [6,7].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Addressing constraints in promoting wild edible plants’ utilization in household nutrition: case of the Congo Basin forest area

et al. 2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

It is worth raising the question, why are wild edible plants (WEPs) which are rich in diverse nutrients and widely abundant underutilized despite the increasing rate of undernourishment in poor regions? One reason is that their culinary uses are not quantified and standardized in nutrition surveys, and therefore, they are not properly included in household diet intensification and diversification across regions and cultures. Active steps are needed to bridge this gap. This paper outlines the constraints to including WEPs in nutritional surveys as the lack of standard ways of food identification of diverse WEPs, lack of specific food categorization and therefore difficult dissemination across regions and cultures. As a way forward, a functional categorization of 11 subgroups for WEPs is introduced and discussed. In labeling these sub-food groups, the paper advocates that more WEPs food items and culinary uses should be enlisted during household nutrition surveys. Food researchers could then capitalize these enlisted species and disseminate them to promote diverse food use of WEPs in other regions where they exist but are not utilized as food.

show abstract

‘I used to be ashamed’. The influence of an educational program on tribal and non-tribal children's knowledge and valuation of wild food plants

Cited by 13 publications

References 16 publications

“I eat the manofê so it is not forgotten”: local perceptions and consumption of native wild edible plants from seasonal dry forests in Brazil

“I eat the manofê so it is not forgotten”: local perceptions and consumption of native wild edible plants from seasonal dry forests in Brazil

A comparison of traditional plant knowledge between students and herders in northern Kenya

Addressing constraints in promoting wild edible plants’ utilization in household nutrition: case of the Congo Basin forest area

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About