Wild foods (plants and animals) in the green famine belt of Ethiopia: Do they contribute to household resilience to seasonal food insecurity?

Abstract

Background: The role of wild foods in combating problems of food shortage is paramount. However, existing approaches to combat food insecurity shock have generally focused on reducing vulnerability via increasing productivity of domesticated foods. In contrast, approaches that enhance resilience mainly through wild food sources have been less focused. This study examined the contribution of wild foods to household resilience to food insecurity in the green famine belt of Ethiopia. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of 220 households was conducted using a structured questionnaire, key informant interviews, and semi-participant observations. Factor analysis was run using SPSS to analyze data. Correlation analysis was used to examine the direction and strength of association between wild foods and the income and food access (IFA), a latent proxy indicator of resilience. Cross-tabulation was also run to determine the proportion of households in each ethno-culture group under each resilience category. Results: The mean amount of wild foods obtained by households was 156.61 kg per household per annum. This was about 5 % and 9 % of, gross and, net food available from all sources respectively. Wild foods contributed well to household resilience as the factor loading (Factor2 = 0.467) was large enough and were significantly correlated with IFA (r = 0.174). Wild vegetables were the most collected and consumed type of wild foods constituting 52.4 % of total amount of wild foods. The total amount of wild foods was smaller than that of domesticated sources of food. The majority of households (38.6 %) reported "reduced source of wild foods" as a reason for this. Smaller proportion of the indigenous (11.2 %) than the non-indigenous (34.1 %) ethno-culture group reported one or more reasons for their lower level of dependence on wild foods.

Foods from the wild: Local knowledge, use pattern and distribution in Western Nepal

“…Most of the available studies from various regions have found that socio-cultural factors are the main drivers of the reduced consumption of WEPs [ 70 , 71 ]. It has been strongly believed, mainly by indigenous peoples, that wild foods have a greater capacity to maintain the good health of those who depend on them [ 72 ]. Despite their accessibility and availability, the utilization of WEPs is challenged by numerous factors [ 55 ].…”

Wild Edible Plant Nutritional Contribution and Consumer Perception in Ethiopia

“…However, the result of Amenu [ 79 ] and Mesfin et al [ 80 ] indicated that roots are mostly used for medicinal and edible purposes. On the other hand, Guyu and Muluneh [ 81 ] reported that 52.4% of the total amount of wild foods came from wild vegetables, which is about 5 times higher than fruits and roots. The variation in consumption of wild edible plant parts might be due to the variation of plant species in adapting to different ecological zones and culture of the people in different areas.…”

“…There was a strong belief, mainly by the indigenous people, that wild foods have a greater capacity to maintain the good health conditions of those who depend on them [ 81 ]. Anbessa [ 76 ] indicated that the majority of wild edible plants were eaten as extra food rather than as regular meals.…”

“…On the other hand, Addis et al [ 31 ] stated that wild plants in Ethiopia are used as a source of food both at times of plenty and at times of food shortages. Households have indicated the desire to continue to gathering and hunting for wild foods, but the amount they obtained was very low due because the availability of wild foods have been currently reduced due to substitution with staple crops, wild foods are not culturally acceptable, and the hunting and gathering of wild foods have been legally banned [ 81 ]. The literature indicates that the perception of wild edible plants as food varies from location to location, and it also varies with economic status, gender, and age of the consumer.…”

Land Use Land Cover (LULC) Change Detection Using Geospatial Technique in Anbessa Forest, Benishangul-Gumuz Region, Ethiopia

“…Their environmental and economic functions such as timber, fuel wood, fodder, water and soil protection, carbon sequestration, oxygen production, recreation, aesthetics, biodiversity, and habitat for wildlife species are described in vast literature (Köchli &Brang 2005;Keleş et al 2008;Başkent et al 2008). Specially, their economic functions such as contribution to food security in general (Shriar, 2002) and being a major source of wild foods in particular are paramount (Guyu & Muluneh, 2015). However, forests of Ethiopia including Anbessa forest have experienced LULC changes due to mainly human activities (McKee, 2007;Mathewos, 2019).…”