Aklilu Lemma Institute of Pathobiology, Addis Ababa University, P, O, Box 1176, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
J Ethnobiol Ethnomed. 2010 Aug 17;6:23. doi: 10.1186/1746-4269-6-23.
The rural populations in Ethiopia have a rich knowledge of wild edible plants and consumption of wild edible plants is still an integral part of the different cultures in the country. In the southern part of the country, wild edible plants are used as dietary supplements and a means of survival during times of food shortage. Therefore, the aim of this study is to document the wild edible plants gathered and consumed by Kara and Kwego people, and to analyze patterns of use between the two people.
A cross sectional ethnobotanical study of wild edible plant species was conducted from January 2005 to March 2007. About 10% of each people: 150 Kara and 56 Kwego were randomly selected to serve as informants. Data were collected using semi-structured questionnaire and group discussions. Analysis of variance (alpha = 0.05) was used to test the similarity of species richness of wild edible plants reported by Kara and Kwego people; Pearson's Chi-square test (alpha = 0.05) was used to test similarity of growth forms and plant parts of wild edible plants used between the two people.
Thirty-eight wild plant species were reported as food sources that were gathered and consumed both at times of plenty and scarcity; three were unique to Kara, five to Kwego and 14 had similar local names. The plant species were distributed among 23 families and 33 genera. The species richness: families, genera and species (p > 0.05) were not significantly different between Kara and Kwego. Nineteen (50%) of the reported wild edible plants were trees, 11 (29%) were shrubs, six (16%) were herbs and two (5%) were climbers. Forty plant parts were indicated as edible: 23 (58.97%) fruits, 13 (33.33%) leaves, 3 (7.69%) roots and one (2.56%) seed. There was no difference between wild edible plants growth forms reported (Pearson's Chi-square test (d.f. = 3) = 0.872) and plant parts used (Pearson's Chi-square test (d.f. = 3) = 0.994) by Kara and Kwego people. The majority of wild edible plants were gathered and consumed from 'Duka' (March) to 'Halet' (May) and from 'Meko' (August) to 'Tejo' (November). Sixteen (41%) of the plant parts were used as a substitute for cultivated vegetables during times of scarcity. The vegetables were chopped and boiled to make 'Belesha' (sauce) or as a relish to 'Adano' (porridge). The ripe fruits were gathered and consumed fresh and some were made into juices. The seeds and underground parts were only consumed in times of famine. Thirty-seven percent of the wild edible plants were used as medicine and 23.6% were used for other functions.
The wild edible plants were used as supplements to the cultivated crops and as famine foods between harvesting seasons. But information on the nutritional values and possible toxic effects of most of the wild edible plants reported by Kara and Kwego, and others in different part of Ethiopia is not available. Therefore, the documented information on the wild edible plants may serve as baseline data for future studies on nutritional values and possible side effects, and to identify plants that may improve nutrition and increase dietary diversity. Some of these wild edible plants may have the potential to be valuable food sources (if cultivated) and could be part of a strategy in tackling food insecurity.
埃塞俄比亚农村人口对野生食用植物有着丰富的了解，食用野生食用植物仍然是该国不同文化的一个组成部分。在该国南部，野生食用植物被用作膳食补充剂，也是食物短缺时期的生存手段。因此，本研究旨在记录卡拉人和克戈人采集和食用的野生食用植物，并分析这两个人群之间的使用模式。
2005 年 1 月至 2007 年 3 月进行了一项关于野生食用植物物种的横断面民族植物学研究。随机选择每个民族的 10%：150 名卡拉人和 56 名克戈作为信息提供者。使用半结构式问卷和小组讨论收集数据。使用方差分析（alpha = 0.05）来检验卡拉人和克戈人报告的野生食用植物物种丰富度的相似性；使用皮尔逊卡方检验（alpha = 0.05）来检验这两个人群使用的野生食用植物生长形式和植物部位的相似性。
报告了 38 种野生植物作为食物来源，无论是在丰饶时期还是匮乏时期，这些植物都是被采集和食用的；其中 3 种是卡拉独有的，5 种是克戈独有的，14 种是两个民族都有的。这些植物物种分布在 23 个科和 33 个属中。物种丰富度：科、属和种（p > 0.05）在卡拉人和克戈人之间没有显著差异。报告的 19 种野生食用植物中有 19 种（50%）是树木，11 种（29%）是灌木，6 种（16%）是草本植物，2 种（5%）是攀援植物。报告了 40 种植物部位可食用：23 种（58.97%）是果实，13 种（33.33%）是叶子，3 种（7.69%）是根，1 种（2.56%）是种子。卡拉人和克戈人报告的野生食用植物生长形式（皮尔逊卡方检验（自由度 d.f. = 3）= 0.872）和使用的植物部位（皮尔逊卡方检验（自由度 d.f. = 3）= 0.994）没有差异。大多数野生食用植物是在“杜卡”（三月）到“哈莱特”（五月）和“梅科”（八月）到“特乔”（十一月）期间从“杜卡”（市场）采集和食用的。在匮乏时期，有 16 种（41%）植物部位被用作替代栽培蔬菜。这些蔬菜被切碎煮沸制成“贝勒沙”（酱汁）或作为“阿达诺”（粥）的佐料。成熟的水果被采集并新鲜食用，有些被制成果汁。种子和地下部分仅在饥荒时期食用。报告的野生食用植物中有 37%被用作药物，23.6%被用于其他用途。
野生食用植物被用作栽培作物的补充品，也是收获季节之间的饥荒食物。但是，关于卡拉人和克戈人以及埃塞俄比亚其他地区报告的大多数野生食用植物的营养价值和可能的毒性作用的信息尚不可用。因此，记录的野生食用植物信息可以作为未来关于营养价值和可能的副作用的研究的基线数据，并可以识别可能改善营养和增加饮食多样性的植物。其中一些野生食用植物可能具有成为有价值的食物来源（如果进行栽培）的潜力，并且可以成为解决粮食不安全问题的策略的一部分。
