Wild Edible Plants of Jorgo Wato Protected Area: The Case of Nole Kaba District West Wollega Zone Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia.

Abstract

The study was conducted in Nole Kaba district, west Wollega Zone of Oromia Regional State, on Wild Edible Plants in Jorgo wato protected area. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews, observation based focus group discussions, and questionnaires with a total of 115 informants, in which 102 are males and 13 are females, where 15 informants were used as key informants based on their very rich experiences on using wild edible plants and assumed to provide factual information. Descriptive methods of data analyzes was employed to analyze gathered information or data on wild edible plant species. A total of 13 wild edible plant species were founded of which edible berries account for 69.23%, leaves and shoots15.38%, root tubers 7.69% and squashes 7.69%. Structurally, trees account for 53.85%,climbers for 23.08%,shrubs for 7.69%and herbs for15.30% of the investigated wild edible plants whereby 69.23% are eaten fresh, the rest 23.08% are cooked and a few of 7.69% are either fermented or used fresh.