Mothupi Frans Makwena, Shackleton Charlie M
Dept of Environmental Science, Rhodes University, Makhanda, 6140, South Africa.
J Ethnobiol Ethnomed. 2025 Apr 4;21(1):23. doi: 10.1186/s13002-025-00773-5.
Globalisation, urbanisation, and modernisation all influence traditional knowledge. More specifically, the introduction of exotic plants, historical policies, stigma attached to consuming wild edible plants (WEPs), changes in lifestyles, and environmental factors are reshaping peoples' uses and knowledge of WEPs. This study assessed the relationship between ethnobotanical knowledge and consumption of WEPs in rural villages in the Polokwane and Aganang local municipalities, Limpopo Province, South Africa.
This study was conducted in four villages in the Limpopo Province, South Africa, between May 2018 and June 2019. Data about WEPs were collected using a household survey questionnaire administered to a total of 120 participants stratified by age and gender. Additionally, a free list of WEP species known by participants was collected as well as data on the traditional uses of each species.
We found that WEPs are generally well-known in the area, as participants listed an average of 17.7 ± 5.0 (8.4 ± 2.4 wild fruit species) and (9.3 ± 2.6 wild vegetable species). There was a significant difference between the number of species listed by age group, with the elderly listing a higher mean number of species (9.3 ± 2.6) compared to adults (8.1 ± 2.5) and the youth (7.8 ± 1.7). Vangueria infausta, Sclerocarya birrea subsp. caffra, Ximenia caffra, Amaranthus retroflexus, Citrullus lanatus, and Cleome gynandra were among the most listed species. There was a positive correlation between knowledge of WEPs and consumption rates. Most of the knowledge about WEPs was learnt from a family member (89%), own observation (86%), and a village elder (75%). This knowledge was mostly acquired from childhood through oral tradition (63%), through participation (21%), and consumption (12%).
Future preservation of WEPs knowledge could be encouraged by formalising indigenous knowledge in the education system and promoting WEPs in the media.
全球化、城市化和现代化都会对传统知识产生影响。更具体地说，外来植物的引入、历史政策、食用野生可食用植物（WEPs）所附带的污名、生活方式的改变以及环境因素正在重塑人们对野生可食用植物的利用和认知。本研究评估了南非林波波省波罗克瓦尼和阿加南地方市政当局农村地区民族植物学知识与野生可食用植物消费之间的关系。
本研究于2018年5月至2019年6月在南非林波波省的四个村庄开展。关于野生可食用植物的数据通过一份家庭调查问卷收集，共对120名按年龄和性别分层的参与者进行了调查。此外，还收集了参与者所知晓的野生可食用植物物种的自由列表以及每个物种的传统用途数据。
我们发现，野生可食用植物在该地区普遍广为人知，参与者平均列出了17.7 ± 5.0种（8.4 ± 2.4种野生水果物种）和（9.3 ± 2.6种野生蔬菜物种）。不同年龄组列出的物种数量存在显著差异，老年人列出的物种平均数（9.3 ± 2.6种）高于成年人（8.1 ± 2.5种）和年轻人（7.8 ± 1.7种）。最常被列出的物种包括非洲芒果、南非马鲁拉、南非铁青树、反枝苋、西瓜和白花菜。野生可食用植物的知识与消费率之间存在正相关。关于野生可食用植物的大部分知识是从家庭成员（89%）、自身观察（86%）和村里的长辈（75%）那里学到的。这些知识大多是在童年时期通过口头传承（63%）、参与（21%）和食用（12%）获得的。
通过在教育系统中规范本土知识并在媒体上推广野生可食用植物，可能会鼓励未来对野生可食用植物知识的保护。
