Diversity and Traditional Knowledge Concerning Wild Food Species in a Locally Managed Forest in Nepal |
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Authors: | Prasanna M Shrestha Shivcharn S Dhillion |
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Institution: | 1. Department of Ecology and Natural Resource Management, Agricultural University of Norway, P.O. Box 5003, NO-1432, ?s, Norway 2. Centre for Development and the Environment, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1116, NO-0317, Blindern, Oslo, Norway
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Abstract: | This study documents wild food species in a locally managed forest by the inhabitants of nine villages in the Dolakha district,
Nepal. It presents data on their diversity, and traditional knowledge on plant use, propagation and local domestication collected
through household and key informant interviews, forest transects inventories and herbaria verifications. Sixty-two wild food
plants belonging to 36 families were recorded; most of them (80%) have multiple uses. Many of the food plants are herbaceous
(24 species) and produce fruits for consumption (46%). Most of the food plants are consumed by the local communities as snacks,
and are supplementary and nutritionally important especially prior to the harvest of staple foods. Elder women (>35 years)
are the most knowledgeable group, being able to describe the use of 65% of all edibles as compared to only 23% described by
young men (<35 years). Many villagers also possess knowledge on the modes of propagation for the food plants that may be used
in the process of domestication. The local communities expressed a strong desire for the establishment of community enterprises
based on the wild food resources for long-term income generation sources. To accomplish this, development of collective co-operative
strategies based on assessments of the biology, size of harvestable population, sustainable harvesting techniques, and marketing
value and demand of promising species would be required. Moreover domestication potential based on species identified in this
paper and other species that local communities have knowledge on ought to be encouraged through incentive and policy interventions. |
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Keywords: | Biodiversity Community forestry Domestication Food security Montane resource |
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