Weeds as important vegetables for farmers

Cruz-García, Gisella S.; Price, L. L.

doi:10.5586/asbp.2012.047

Cited by 30 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…This is consistent with several other studies, which identify farms and their noncultivated edge areas as a major source of WEPs, especially weedy leafy vegetables and tree fruits (Price 1997, Cruz-Garcia andPrice 2012). We also found a relationship between total farm size and annual WEP collection frequency (P < 0.05; Table 4, Model 1).…”

Section: Indicators Of Household Vulnerability That Influence Wild Edsupporting

confidence: 92%

Understanding the contribution of wild edible plants to rural social-ecological resilience in semi-arid Kenya

Shumsky¹,

Hickey²,

Pelletier³

et al. 2014

E&S

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ABSTRACT. Wild edible plants (WEPs) are known to make important contributions to food baskets and livelihoods in the smallholder and subsistence farming communities of sub-Saharan Africa. As a result, protecting and promoting the sustainable use of WEPs in concert with more mainstream agricultural innovation efforts has the potential to build household resilience to food insecurity. There is, however, a need to better understand how WEPs contribute to rural livelihoods on a daily basis and act as emergency safety nets during periods of hunger. Focusing on two villages in rural eastern Kenya, we sought to determine which household conditions are correlated with household reliance on WEPs as a coping strategy during times of food insecurity, while also investigating the role of access restrictions on adaptive capacity and the ability to obtain these important food resources. Results reveal that reliance on WEPs is greater in households that report food insecurity, lack off-farm income, and have lower asset levels. Access to WEPs is also a major factor in consumption frequency, with smaller farm sizes and increased distance to harvest areas significantly correlated with lower levels of WEP use. By combining vulnerability and adaptive capacity measures for each household, we created a more complete accounting of the factors that influence WEP consumption frequency, with implications for policy. This study represents an important first step in taking a more holistic view of the subsistence value of WEPs and the myriad factors that influence households' reliance on, and ability to obtain, uncultivated natural resources.

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Section: Indicators Of Household Vulnerability That Influence Wild Edsupporting

confidence: 92%

Understanding the contribution of wild edible plants to rural social-ecological resilience in semi-arid Kenya

Shumsky¹,

Hickey²,

Pelletier³

et al. 2014

E&S

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“…Certainly, the consumption of weeds has been reported throughout the world (Grivetti et al, 1987;Duke, 1992;Tanji and Nassif, 1995;Casas et al, 1996;Díaz-Betancourt et al, 1999;Pieroni, 1999;Turner et al, 2011;Cruz-Garcia and Price, 2012). Likewise, the results of this study showed that more than half of food plant species reported in the village have been classified as weeds by scientific literature (HEAR, 2007).…”

Section: Reflections On the Definitions Of "Wild" Food Plantssupporting

confidence: 62%

Management and Motivations to Manage “Wild” Food Plants. A Case Study in a Mestizo Village in the Amazon Deforestation Frontier

Cruz-García

2017

Front. Ecol. Evol.

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Human management of anthropogenic environments and species is tightly linked to the ecology and evolution of plants gathered by humans. This is certainly the case for wild food plants, which exist on a continuum of human management. Given alarming deforestation rates, wild food plant gathering is increasingly occurring in anthropogenic ecosystems, where farmers actively manage these species in order to ensure their availability and access. This study was conducted in a mestizo village in the Peruvian Amazon deforestation frontier, with the objective of documenting the management practices, including the human-induced movement of wild food plant species across the forest-agriculture landscape, and the motivations that farmers have to manage them using a qualitative ethnobotanical approach. The results of focus group discussions showed that 67% of the 30 "wild" food plant species reported for the village were managed, and almost all plants that were managed have been transplanted. The strongest flow of transplanted material was from forest to agricultural field (11 species), followed by market to field (five species), and field to home garden (four species). Farmers argued that the main reason for transplanting "wild" food plants was to have them closer to home, because they perceived that the abundance of 77% of these species decreased in the last years. Conversely, the most important reason for not transplanting a "wild" plant was the long time it takes to grow, stated for 67% of the species that have not been transplanted. Remarkably, more than half (57%) of the "wild" food plant species, including 76% of the species that are managed, have been classified as weeds by scientific literature. Finally, the "wild" food plant species were classified in six mutually exclusive groups according to management form and perceived abundance. The study concluded that "wild" food plant management, including management of species classified as weeds by scientific literature, is a crucial adaptation strategy of farmers aimed at ensuring their food security in scenarios of increasing deforestation. Finally, the article reflects on the major implications of human management on the ecology and evolution of food plant species.

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“…Consumption of agricultural weeds is a world-wide phenomenon as some of the plants are characterized by high nutritional value and medicinal properties [4]. Agricultural weeds are consumed in several African and Asian countries mainly as vegetables [5-9]. Many rural communities in tropical Africa make use of vegetables to supplement their diet which is based on rainfed cultivation of staples such as cassava, maize, millet, sorghum, and wheat.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This might perhaps be due to lack of information about the extent of their use as traditional vegetables and their importance to rural and urban livelihoods. Basic information on diversity and utilization of agricultural weeds as traditional vegetables in Zimbabwe is lacking, despite the growing recognition that agricultural weeds constitute an important component of farmer’s diets around the world [5]. The documentation of how agricultural weeds are utilized by rural communities can serve as an initial step towards further detailed studies on the importance of weeds in agricultural systems.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Use of weeds as traditional vegetables in Shurugwi District, Zimbabwe

Maroyi

2013

J Ethnobiology Ethnomedicine

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BackgroundMost agricultural weeds are usually regarded as undesirable and targeted for eradication. However, weeds are useful to human beings as food and traditional medicines. Few studies have been done to document the uses of weeds as traditional vegetables. This study was therefore, done to document indigenous knowledge related to the diversity and use of agricultural weeds as traditional vegetables in Shurugwi District, Zimbabwe, emphasizing their role in food security and livelihoods of the local people.Materials and methodsSemi-structured interviews, observation and guided field walks with 147 participants were employed between December 2011 and January 2012 to obtain ethnobotanical data on the use of edible weeds as traditional vegetables. Based on ethnobotanical information provided by the participants, botanical specimens were collected, numbered, pressed and dried for identification.ResultsA total of 21 edible weeds belonging to 11 families and 15 genera, mostly from Amaranthaceae (19%), Asteraceae and Tiliaceae (14.3%), Capparaceae, Cucurbitaceae and Solanaceae (9.5% each) were identified. Of the documented edible weeds, 52.4% are indigenous while 47.6% are exotic to Zimbabwe; either semi-cultivated or growing naturally as agricultural weeds in farmlands, fallow land and home gardens. Among the main uses of edible weeds were leafy vegetables (81%), followed by edible fruits (19%), edible corms (9.5%), edible flowers and seeds (4.8% each). The most important edible weeds were Cleome gynandra, cited by 93.9% of the participants, Cucumis metuliferus (90.5%), Cucumis anguria (87.8%), Corchorus tridens (50.3%) and Amaranthus hybridus (39.5%). All edible weeds were available during rainy and harvest period with Cleome gynandra, Corchorus tridens, Cucumis anguria, Cucumis metuliferus and Moringa oleifera also available during the dry season, enabling households to obtain food outputs in different times of the year. The importance of edible weeds for local livelihoods was ubiquitously perceived, with all participants reporting their contribution towards food security and nutrition.ConclusionThe present study confirm findings from similar studies conducted elsewhere that rural households engage in harvesting of wild edible vegetables and other non-timber forest products (NTFPs) as a survival strategy. Based on their potential nutritional and medicinal value, edible weeds could contribute in a major way to food security, basic primary health care and balanced diets of rural households and possibly urban households as well.

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Weeds as important vegetables for farmers

Cited by 30 publications

References 28 publications

Understanding the contribution of wild edible plants to rural social-ecological resilience in semi-arid Kenya

Understanding the contribution of wild edible plants to rural social-ecological resilience in semi-arid Kenya

Management and Motivations to Manage “Wild” Food Plants. A Case Study in a Mestizo Village in the Amazon Deforestation Frontier

Use of weeds as traditional vegetables in Shurugwi District, Zimbabwe

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