Abstract:
Quantitative ethnoecological analysis of seasonal availability and implication to food security of wild
edible plants (WEPs) was conducted in Boosat and Fantalle districts of semiarid east Shewa, Ethiopia
from October, 2009 to September, 2010. Semistructured interview, focus group discussions, key
informants discussions, seasonal record of fruits abundance were used to collected data on gathering
and consumption of WEPs to cope with food shortage and adapt to climate change. Collected data was
summarised into frequency tables, graph and qualitatively described under each subtopic. Thirty seven
WEPs were identified for use as human food, and livestock feed and other multipurpose uses. About
24.3 % of WEPs were locally marketed, 75.7% were not marketed. All wild fruits were not included in
official production system in the study area. It has indicated the underutilized existing potential of
WEPs. Wild edible plants were preferred by local people of the study area not only for their food value,
but also for their availability during dry seasons and shortage of food, potential for dryland
agrobiodiversity and multipurpose to human wellbeing, livestock and environmental services they
provide. Pairwise ranking by key informants was in agreement with direct matrices ranking for multiple
uses of WEPs. The pairwise ranking, market survey and participant observations, community
preference has confirmed the real potential of top seven priority WEPs species for dryland
agrobiodiversity and agroforestry. Hence, these WEPs can be potential for dryland agrobiodiversity and
agroforestry, to enhance people’s livelihoods in semiarid areas. This result can shed light on further
research and promotion work on WEPs utilization and management.
