Dietary contribution of wild edible plants to women's diets in the buffer zone around the Lama forest, Benin - an underutilized potential

Rural populations in developing countries face food insecurity and malnutrition despite being surrounded by extraordinary biodiversity. The international community increasingly recognizes the role of agro-biodiversity and Wild Edible Plants (WEPs) in their contributions to managing risk and building...

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Main Authors: Boedecker, J., Termote, Céline, Assogbadjo, A.E., Damme, Patrick van, Lachat, Carl
Format: Journal Article
Language:Inglés
Published: Springer 2014
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/66029
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author Boedecker, J.
Termote, Céline
Assogbadjo, A.E.
Damme, Patrick van
Lachat, Carl
author_browse Assogbadjo, A.E.
Boedecker, J.
Damme, Patrick van
Lachat, Carl
Termote, Céline
author_facet Boedecker, J.
Termote, Céline
Assogbadjo, A.E.
Damme, Patrick van
Lachat, Carl
author_sort Boedecker, J.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Rural populations in developing countries face food insecurity and malnutrition despite being surrounded by extraordinary biodiversity. The international community increasingly recognizes the role of agro-biodiversity and Wild Edible Plants (WEPs) in their contributions to managing risk and building resilience and sustainable food systems. Studies on real contributions of WEPs to peoples’ diets, however, are uncommon. This study assessed the contribution of WEPs to diets of women living in the buffer zone of the Lama forest in southern Benin. During the long dry season, a cross-sectional survey was carried out on 120 women, covering their knowledge and attitudes towards WEPs and two non-consecutive 24-h recalls of their WEP consumption. Contribution of WEPs to total dietary intake was low due to infrequent use and small portion sizes. The highest nutrient contributions of WEPs measured were for copper (13.9 %) and iron (4.6 %) but the majority of the women had intake values below the Estimated Average Requirements (EARs) for these elements - copper 65 % and iron 91 % Women’s dietary diversity was significantly higher among WEP consumers than non-consumers, mainly due to higher consumption of dark green leafy vegetables. WEPs were less consumed as a replacement for other foods but rather as a complement to the diet. The study population generally appreciated WEPs, while some constraints were reported regarding preparation, conservation and commercialization. Before widely promoting WEP consumption in order to exploit their dietary potential, additional investigations are needed into their nutrient composition, cultural and market value, their sustainable harvest levels and possible integration into innovative farming systems.
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spelling CGSpace660292025-12-08T09:54:28Z Dietary contribution of wild edible plants to women's diets in the buffer zone around the Lama forest, Benin - an underutilized potential Boedecker, J. Termote, Céline Assogbadjo, A.E. Damme, Patrick van Lachat, Carl consumption diet health human nutrition indigenous knowledge wild plants gender Rural populations in developing countries face food insecurity and malnutrition despite being surrounded by extraordinary biodiversity. The international community increasingly recognizes the role of agro-biodiversity and Wild Edible Plants (WEPs) in their contributions to managing risk and building resilience and sustainable food systems. Studies on real contributions of WEPs to peoples’ diets, however, are uncommon. This study assessed the contribution of WEPs to diets of women living in the buffer zone of the Lama forest in southern Benin. During the long dry season, a cross-sectional survey was carried out on 120 women, covering their knowledge and attitudes towards WEPs and two non-consecutive 24-h recalls of their WEP consumption. Contribution of WEPs to total dietary intake was low due to infrequent use and small portion sizes. The highest nutrient contributions of WEPs measured were for copper (13.9 %) and iron (4.6 %) but the majority of the women had intake values below the Estimated Average Requirements (EARs) for these elements - copper 65 % and iron 91 % Women’s dietary diversity was significantly higher among WEP consumers than non-consumers, mainly due to higher consumption of dark green leafy vegetables. WEPs were less consumed as a replacement for other foods but rather as a complement to the diet. The study population generally appreciated WEPs, while some constraints were reported regarding preparation, conservation and commercialization. Before widely promoting WEP consumption in order to exploit their dietary potential, additional investigations are needed into their nutrient composition, cultural and market value, their sustainable harvest levels and possible integration into innovative farming systems. 2014-12 2015-05-13T13:59:46Z 2015-05-13T13:59:46Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/66029 en Open Access application/pdf Springer Boedecker, J.; Termote, C.; Assogbadjo, A.E.; Van Damme, P.; Lachat, C. -2014-Dietary contribution of wild edible plants to women's diets in the buffer zone around the Lama forest, Benin - an underutilized potential-Food Security 6 (6) -p. 833-849
spellingShingle consumption
diet
health
human nutrition
indigenous knowledge
wild plants
gender
Boedecker, J.
Termote, Céline
Assogbadjo, A.E.
Damme, Patrick van
Lachat, Carl
Dietary contribution of wild edible plants to women's diets in the buffer zone around the Lama forest, Benin - an underutilized potential
title Dietary contribution of wild edible plants to women's diets in the buffer zone around the Lama forest, Benin - an underutilized potential
title_full Dietary contribution of wild edible plants to women's diets in the buffer zone around the Lama forest, Benin - an underutilized potential
title_fullStr Dietary contribution of wild edible plants to women's diets in the buffer zone around the Lama forest, Benin - an underutilized potential
title_full_unstemmed Dietary contribution of wild edible plants to women's diets in the buffer zone around the Lama forest, Benin - an underutilized potential
title_short Dietary contribution of wild edible plants to women's diets in the buffer zone around the Lama forest, Benin - an underutilized potential
title_sort dietary contribution of wild edible plants to women s diets in the buffer zone around the lama forest benin an underutilized potential
topic consumption
diet
health
human nutrition
indigenous knowledge
wild plants
gender
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/66029
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