Wild edible plants and mushrooms of the Bamenda Highlands in Cameroon: ethnobotanical assessment and potentials for enhancing food security

Abstract

Background In seasons of food shortage, local communities across Africa use wild edible plants and mushrooms (WEPM) that contribute significantly to food security by supplementing households’ diets and providing alternative income. In the Bamenda Highlands of Cameroon, their biodiversity is believed to be rapidly declining as a result of land use change. Despite their potential beneficial values, there has been only limited research on this topic in this area. This study aims to document traditional knowledge related to the use of plants and mushrooms for food purpose by indigenous people of the Bamenda highland. Method Ethnobotanical surveys were conducted in 6 localities (Mbengwi, Bafut, Nkwen, Mankon, Bambili, and Widikum) of the Bamenda Highlands of Cameroon, and 121 individuals were interviewed on commonly gathered and eaten WEPMs and their perception on their availability. Respondents were permanent residents selected based on their willingness to participate in the study. Specimens of recorded plants were collected and processed for future identification at the National Herbarium of Cameroon. Their nutritional potentials are discussed based on available literature. Results A total of 47 species were recorded including leafy vegetable, spices, fruits, roots/tubers, and mushrooms. The top 5 most frequent are Amaranthus sp. (6.6%), Termitomyces clypeatus (6.4%), Irvingia gabonensis (5.2%), Ricinodendron heudelotii (5.1%), and Aframomum sp. (4.5%). Leafy vegetable and spices are the most diversified group with 13 species each. All recorded species are important from nutritional and pharmaceutical points. However, many of their values remain uninvestigated, while their natural populations are facing threats of degradation. Conclusion WEPMs have great potential to contribute to food and nutritional security in the study area. Sound nutrients and metabolites profiling of poorly known species can enhance their contribution in addressing food insecurity.

Ethnobotanical survey of wild edible plants used by Baka People in southeastern Cameroon.

“…Their extensive traditional knowledge of WEP is likely re ected in the high number of plants used. In contrast, the inhabitants of the Bamenda highlands are mainly from the non-hunter-gatherer Tikares ethnic group, which settled the area in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries [47].…”

“…less than 1 km from village, f: far, both, ? : unknown), number of citations, plant parts, usage and occurrence in other sites as cited in the literature[10,17,[20][21][22][47][48][49]51,54,59,60,62,[71][72][73][74][75][76].…”

Ethnobotanical survey of wild edible plants used by Baka Pygmies in southeastern Cameroon.

“…An ANOVA was used to determine the variance in the number of products harvested and consumed in different households. Data analysis was performed using R version 3.5.1 [74]. .…”

Ethnobotanical survey of wild edible plants used by Baka People in southeastern Cameroon.

“…Although the preeminent traditional way of life for these groups remains associated with forest hunting and gathering, most contemporary groups have taken up some form of agriculture. A typical example is the Baka of the Western Congo basin who are distributed in four different countries with the majority living in Cameroon, numbering about 40,000 individuals [47]. From about the 1950's onwards, Baka became sedentarised following missionary activities and the "development assistance" programs by the State after independence [16,47,48]; the adoption of agriculture and semisedentary lifestyle has been rather voluntary [49].…”

“…Pygmy groups have witnessed the gradual reduction of access to forest resources [50]. After relocation from the forest, Baka have opened their own plots to grow subsistence crops such as plantain, banana, and cassava [47,[51][52][53]. This change in lifestyle has been associated with a marked decline in physical and mental health [54].…”