Assessment of utilization of wild edible plants and their contribution to the livelihoods of rural communities; case study: Koro sub-county, Omoro district

Abstract

Wild edible plants are important food supplements which reduce vulnerability to food insecurity especially in times of food shortage in Uganda. However, limited information is available on knowledge and their use in Uganda. Therefore, this study was conducted to identify different Wild Edible Plants (WEP) and their benefits; assess the knowledge level of the community on the importance of Wild Edible Plants (WEP) to their livelihoods and determine the available strategies for sustainable utilization and conservation of Wild Edible Plants (WEP) to the rural communities of Koro S/C; Omoro district. A series of participatory tools (key informant interviews, observation) was followed by a household survey (150 respondents) from three (3) randomly selected parishes namely; Labwoch, Ibakara and Pageya. According to the findings, a total of 21 Wild Edible Plants (WEPs) species with high diversity and multiple use values were documented in Koro S/C. WEPs species such as Ximenia Americana L., Chlorophytum comosum, Amaranthus spinosus L., Aframomum angustifolium (Sonn.) K.Schum, Vitellaria paradoxa C.F. Gaertn, and “Oyado.” were highly utilized due to their multitude of benefits. Peoples in Koro S/C perceived WEPs to be of food and nutritional value, medicinal value, and economic value. The decline of WEPs availability and utilization was due to environmental degradation, rapid urbanization and overexploitation. Some of the strategies for sustainable utilization and conservation of WEPs in the area were; community sensitization, domestication of wild edible plants, local regulations on management of the Wild edible plants, promotion of sustainable alternatives for harvesting and utilization of WEPs, and market-led initiatives through value addition and value chain development. However, the study further established that although there were some notable strategies for sustainable utilization and conservation of WEPs in the area, these were not very effective due to the limited resources affecting outreach of the interventions, limited awareness on the available bi-laws and regulations, and limited involvement of communities in the design and implementation of the interventions. It was recommended that the government and civil societies intensify community sensitization on the importance of sustainable utilization and conservation of the wild edible plants for posterity. Sustainable business models need to be developed to facilitate increased and equitable economic benefits along the value chain as a mechanism for incentivizing sustainable management of WEPs and their sources. Finally, the community members need to engage in wild edible plants domestication and conservation of WEP sources for continued utilization of wild edible plants for their enormous benefits to food, nutritional, medicinal and economic values.