The contribution of medicinal and wild food plants to the well-being of rural communities in Lindi rural district. Tanzania
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Date
2006
Authors
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Journal ISSN
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Publisher
Sokoine University of Agriculture
Abstract
A study was undertaken to assess the contribution of medicinal and wild food plants to the
well-being of rural communities in Lindi Rural District, Tanzania. Structured and semi
structured questionnaires and Participatory Rural Appraisal were used for socio-economic
data collection. Systematic sampling design was used for the inventory of medicinal plants.
wild food plants and other non-timber forest products. Statistical Package for Social
Science Programme (SPSS), pair wise and preference ranking, content and structural
methods were used in data analysis. It was found that medicinal and wild food plants
contributed about 4% to household food security and 5.5% to household income. The
percentage contribution of medicinal and wild food plants to the household food security
and income seems to be small probably due to their low monetary value in Lindi.
However, the study revealed that 79.7% of people in the study area relied on medicinal
plants and SI.7% used wild plant foods. It was concluded that medicinal and wild food
plants play a big role to the rural communities in Lindi Rural District but overharvesting of
these plants especially the roots could endanger their sustainability in the forests. It is
recommended that to ensure their sustainable supply, medicinal and wild food plants be
domesticated and restrictions be formulated and enforced to minimize overharvesting of
medicinal and wild food plants to enable sustainability of these plants in the forests. It is
also recommended that medicinal plants be integrated with the modem health care systems
as well as wild plant foods be integrated in the national food security programme. Also
efforts should be made to add value to medicinal and wild food plants by developing and
disseminating simple appropriate technologies for processing of these products. It was
further recommended that more research be carried out on processing, marketing and
domestication of these plants.
Description
Dissertation
Keywords
Medicinal, Wild food plants, Forest products, Rural communities, Lindi