The Contribution of Edible Wild Plants to Food Security, Dietary Diversity and Income of Households in Shorobe Village, Northern Botswana Lukas Neudeck, Lebogang Avelino, Phetso Bareetseng, Barbara N. Ngwenya, Demel Teketay and Moseki R. Motsholapheko Research Abstract The objectives of this study were to investigate the indig- In Zimbabwe, Wilson (1990) revealed that some poor enous knowledge on the use of edible wild plants (EWPs) households rely on wild fruits as an alternative to culti- and assess their contribution to the food security, dietary vated food for a quarter of all the meals in dry seasons. diversity and income of households in Shorobe Village, Similarly, in northern regions of Nigeria, leafy vegetables northern Botswana. Data were collected through: 1) a sur- and other bush foods are collected as daily supplement vey of 45 households randomly selected from a total of relishes and for soups (Loghurst 1986). EWPs were pre- 128 households in the village, and 2) focus group discus- viously recorded as contributed a greater share to annual sions. Twenty seven species were found to be used as diet than domesticated crops in Swaziland (Olge & Grivet- sources of food and beverage. Seven of the EWPs were ti 1985). In Ethiopia, Teketay et al. (2010) identified 378 harvested by 80% or more of the households. EWPs ac- species of EWPs. In Tanzania, 326 species of EWPs have counted for 25-76% of the annual food supply of house- been reported (Ruffo et al. 2002). Katende et al. (1999) holds. Over two third of the population were engaged in reported 210 EWPs that are being used in Uganda. The the sale of 11 of the EWPs, and the sale of EWPs contrib- National Museum of Kenya has a database set up by the uted between 1-100% to the monthly income of house- Indigenous Food Plants Programme. It includes data of holds. While 69% of the households earned money from over 800 plant species that are used for food. The major- the sale of EWPs, the sale of EWPs was the primary ity of those plants are eaten as fruits and leafy vegetables source of income for 21% of the respondents. The sale (Maundu et al. 1999). In Botswana and Namibia, Story of EWPs was the second highest contributor, next to live- (1958) reported more than 78 species of EWPs. Grivetti stock, to the average monthly household income. The re- (1979) reported that the Tswana in Botswana used 126 sults revealed that EWPs are of high importance to the EWPs. local population and confirmed the assumption that the availability of EWPs plays an important role in rural live- lihoods through ensuring food security, dietary diversity and sustained income. Correspondence Introduction Lukas Neudeck, Lebogang Avelino, Phetso Bareetseng, Barbara N. Ngwenya, Demel Teketay and Moseki R. Motsholapheko, Uni- Edible Wild Plants (EWPs) refer to both indigenous and versity of Botswana, Okavango Research Institute, Private Bag naturalized exotic plants occurring in the natural environ- 285, Maun, BOTSWANA. ment (Shava 2005). Studies on the use of EWPs in dif- ferent parts of Africa indicate that they are integral parts in the diet of people (Grivetti & Olge 1985). EWPs play an important role in household livelihoods, especially dur- ing periods of both natural and man-made stresses. They have significant nutritional, economic, ecological and so- Ethnobotany Research & Applications 10:449-462 (2012) cio-cultural values (Guijt et al. 1995, Scoones et al. 1992). Published: November 02, 2012 www.ethnobotanyjournal.org/vol10/i1547-3465-10-449.pdf 450 Ethnobotany Research & Applications Wild resources are more important to the poor than the in north-western Botswana will contribute towards filling wealthy (Bharuch & Pretty 2010). Forest foods increase the knowledge gap. the nutritional quality of rural diets. They have abundant phenolic compounds and other natural anti-oxidants (in- The general objective of this study was to investigate in- cluding vitamins and minerals) that have been associated digenous knowledge related to the use of edible wild with protection from and/or treatment of medical condi- plants (EWPs) and to assess their contribution to the tions such as malnutrition, heart disease, cancer, and dia- food security, dietary diversity and income of households betes. in Shorobe Village. The specific objectives of the study were to: (i) determine the EWP species; (ii) investigate the EWPs are marketable and provide the opportunity to sup- socio-economic status of households consuming EWPs; plement household income. Today, wild fruits still repre- (iii) determine the contribution of EWPs to the food supply sent some of the commodities sold by both local shops and income of households (we hypothesized that the sale and street vendors (Mothanka et al. 2008) in different Afri- of EWPs is most relevant for low income households); (iv) can countries. Consumption of wild food often saves mon- investigate other values associated with EWPs; and (v) ey by reducing the necessity to buy food. For instance, identify the perceptions of local people regarding threats people living far from forests spend three times more to EWPs. money on food than those living near forests (Bell 1995). Lower returns from farms necessitate the diversification of income from the sale of EWPs (Guijt et al. 1995). Materials and Methods In times gone by, some wild fruits were collected and giv- Study area en as offerings during wedding ceremonies. Some fruits The study was carried out in Shorobe Village in Ngamiland served as ingredients for local traditional breweries (Mo- thanka et al. 2008). In addition to their roles as food, wild District (19° 42’ 54” S and 13° 44’ 43” E) of northwestern plants serve as craft materials for rural communities (Ma- Botswana (Figure 1). The village is located directly below ghembe et al. 1994). the Okavango Delta and about 26 km north of the district administrative town (Maun), and 53 km south of the gate Edible wild fruit trees in Botswana play important roles for of Moremi Wildlife Reserve. The area is characterized by people living in rural areas. Some indigenous fruit trees sandy and infertile soils, and rainfall is unreliable and un- yield a crop in poor rainfall years, thereby improving food predictable. Usually, the rainy period is from October to security for rural households (Mojeremane & Tshwenyane April, and the annual rainfall in the area is between 500- 2004). Despite their significant importance, limited atten- 600 mm. The vegetation consists mainly of mopane veld, tion (Grivetti 1979, Mojeremane & Tshwenyane 2004, Mo- Acacia erioloba E. Mey. sandveld and riverine woodland. thanka et al. 2008, Ohikpehai 2003, Paya 2005, Story The area is the center of tourism in Botswana. 1958) has been given to systematic documentation/pro- filing of existing knowledge and values of, and threats to, Shorobe Village was selected to evaluate the utilization EWPs in the country in the context of climatic variability. and commercialization of EWPs since it is one of the main settlements located along a major tourist route to Moremi A few of the existing studies have paid attention to pro- Wildlife Reserve. Shorobe is a representative of all the vil- filing and documenting values and threats to sustain- lages along the road to the Okavango Delta because of its able utilization of medicinal plants (Andrae-Marobela et diverse use of natural resources compared to other villag- al. 2010). Unlike medicinal plants, many EWPs are col- es along the same route that specifically derive benefits lected and consumed directly, and are not traded inter- from tourism with minimal commercialisation of veld prod- nationally, and they are, therefore, generally undervalued ucts due to the long distance from the district capital. As and ignored by government decision makers and interna- a rural settlement in the vicinity of the district capital and tional agencies. The danger of ignoring their hidden val- being the gateway to a world renowned tourist destina- ues is that policies tend to treat many areas where they tion, the Okavango Delta, the community derives benefits are mostly harvested by the poor as unimportant (Guijt from the use of veld products for the production of crafts, et al. 1995). Furthermore, existing studies tend to ignore edible products and other domestic uses. Another reason other indirect values of EWPs (spiritual and recreational) for having the study focusing in only Shorobe Village was and focus on monetary and consumptive values. Assess- the need to evaluate the importance of EWPs in a holis- ing the other values of EWPs so that they can be tak- tic manner, including not only their importance in terms en into account in planning and policy decision making is of food security, dietary diversity and income, but also in important to local populations. Therefore, there is a need terms of culture and environment. for documentation of local knowledge of EWPs, the com- plexity of their values, distribution, anthropogenic factors According to the Central Statics Office (CSO 2001), the threatening the sustainability and conservation status in population of Shorobe is about 1,000. Ethnic groups re- different ecological zones in Botswana. This case study in siding in Shorobe are Bayei, Banajwa, Batawana, Basar- the distinct ecological zone of the lower Okavango delta wa and Baxereku. www.ethnobotanyjournal.org/vol10/i1547-3465-10-449.pdf Neudeck et al. - The Contribution of Edible Wild Plants in Shorobe Village, 451 Northern Botswana Okavango Moremi Wildlife Reserve Delta Zambia Shorobe Zimbabwe Maun BOTSWANA Figure 1. The Okavango Delta and Shorobe Village, Namibia Botswana. Data collection South Africa We conducted household survey interviews and fo- cus group discussions. For the survey, the respon- dent households were selected through simple random sampling. From a listing of 128 eligible households, 45 households (35%) were sampled for the survey. For the focus group discussions, participants knowledgeable about EWPs were identified with the assistance of local people and authorities.