Specific richness and cultural importance of wild edible trees in Benin
2013
Assogbadjo, A.E. | Glèlè Kakaï, R. | Vodouhê, G.F. | Sinsin, B.
The present research aimed at assessing the biodiversity of wild edible trees and cultural values that support their maintenance in the traditional agroforestry systems of Benin. A number of selected sites in each of the 3 climatic zones of the country were surveyed and data were collected through a field exploration and a semi-structured survey among 435 selected households throughout the country, using a questionnaire. A total of 43 wild edible trees were found in the traditional agroforestry systems of Benin. Three main reasons support peasant ambition to conserve or to grow wild edible trees in their field. The first one is the contribution of species as food followed by its use in traditional medicine and ceremonies. Another important reason supporting the choice to conserve wild edible trees in traditional agroforestry is the farmer’s perception of the availability of species in natural vegetation. At the end, cultural communities’ based conservation of wild edible trees has been discussed.
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