Assessment and characterization of food types consumed by hadzabe hunter-gatherer nomads in northern Tanzania
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Date
2011
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Sokoine University of Agriculture
Abstract
The aim of this study was to assess and characterize the food types consumed by
Hadzabe hunter-gatherer nomads in Karatu and Meatu districts, northern Tanzania. A
total of 259 respondents from the target districts were involved in the study. Through
cross-sectional study design, the data were collected using structured and semi-structured
questionnaires to investigate the temporal patterns for the availability of food types
consumed. Micronutrients (Cadmium, Copper, Chromium, Ferrous, Zinc, Magnesium in
mg/l and %Calcium) and proximate composition of macronutrients were analysed in three
common consumed roots (Ekwa, Magharitako and Shumugo). Overall, 47 varieties of
plant species were consumed but only 15 among them were recognized by their scientific
names. Twenty eight type of leaf vegetables, 16 root/tubers and 15 wild fruits/berries
were identified among consumed plant materials and 29 animal species. Findings from
spatial analysis demonstrated that honey (96.5%), meat (91.9%) and roots (76.4%) were
found both during dry and rain season. The analyses of micronutrients showed that Cu,
Cr, Mg and Fe (mg/l) in the samples exceeded the WHO Maximum Acceptable Residue
Level (MARL). In particular, moisture content in Shumugo roots was higher (90%) than
the WHO recommended levels. It is concluded that there are many varieties of wild food
consumed and their availability depends on the season. The examined roots for
micronutrients are probably toxic for Fe, Cr and Cu that requires further toxicity studies.
There is need to raise awareness about the risks and hazards associated with nomadism,
that include among other things inadequacy of vital nutrients in their diets that may cause
malnutrition; and also toxic natural food types.
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Keywords
Hadzabe hunter-gatherer, Northern Tanzania, Food types, Karatu district, Meatu district