摘要
非洲农村地区可食用的野生植物为人们的日常饮食提供了多种多样的营养成分,包括各种维生素和矿物质,在食品匮乏时期也发挥了重要作用。本文讨论了半干旱的西非地区野生食品(或野生食用植物)利用的问题,介绍了尼日利亚东北部可食用野生植物利用的相关研究成果。通过与当地农牧民的交流,总共鉴定出了67种野生食品,这些食品来源于53种植物。对野生食品了解的程度,可因当地原始种族和居民性别的不同而不同。有些野生食品如果食用过量会产生副作用。农业生产的扩大所造成的土地利用的变化似乎正在使野生食品常见地区的面积扩大。野生食品对人们的日常饮食形成了重要的补充,在食品匮乏时期也起到了至关重要的作用。如果采集后加以出售,它们还可提供增加收入的机会。本文认为,野生食品是农村社会用来谋生的一种重要手段。本文还认为,需要进行进一步研究,以查明当地公共机构以及以社区为基础的自然资源管理体制是否能胜任这些资源的保护工作。
In rural Africa, wild foods provide diversity, vitamins and minerals in the diet. They are also important at times of food shortage. This paper discusses issues concerning wild food use in semiarid West Africa, and presents the results of a study of the use of wild plant foods in northeast Nigeria. Interviews with farmers and herders identified a total of 67 wild foods, coming from 53 species of plant. Knowledge of wild foods varied according to ethnic group and gender. Some wild foods caused side effects if eaten in excess. Land-use change due to agricultural expansion seems to be increasing the areas where wild foods are most commonly found. Wild foods are important as a supplement to daily diet, and at times of food scarcity. In addition, they provide an opportunity to generate income when they are collected and traded. The paper concludes that wild foods are an important coping strategy for rural communities. Further research is needed to determine whether local institutions and community-based natural resource management regimes are sufficient to conserve this resource
