Abstract

PASQUINI, M.W.; SANCHEZ-OSPINA, Carolina  and  MENDOZA, Juan-Salvador. DISTRIBUTION OF KNOWLEDGE AND OF USES OF EDIBLE PLANTS BY GENERATION AND GENDER IN THREE AFRICAN DESCENDANT COMMUNITIES IN BOLÍVAR, COLOMBIA. Luna Azul [online]. 2014, n.38, pp.58-85. ISSN 1909-2474.

In the last two decades a significant number of initiatives have been undertaken to promote and revalue the diversity of useful under-utilized plants in various regions around the world. In Colombia there have been various ethnobotanical studies, however, there is still a need for further research, particularly on the use of food plants in Afro-descendant communities. The overall objective of this research project was to contribute to the documentation of the use of traditional food plants and knowledge of the management and production systems by Afro-descendant communities in the Colombian Caribbean coastal region. This article focuses specifically on the question of how knowledge is distributed and how use practices of the plants change by generation and gender in three communities in the department of Bolívar. Through a recognition exercise, undertaken with families on 91 plants, evidence was found of intergenerational loss of knowledge and traditions of use. High percentages of reported non-consumption and/or not recent consumption combined with explanations given in focus groups, suggest a decline in the food use of about 20 species, the majority of them having wild and semi-wild status. The reasons given varied depending on the plant species and included perceptions of change in production and food preparation and consumption practices and the disappearance of certain plants because of changes in land use and natural resource management. Older respondents recognized more plants than they actually used. Recognition rates by men were higher in comparison to women in the case of 28 plants, mainly wild resources. These results highlight that the design of successful strategies to promote sustainable rural development processes which revalue the significant diversity of food plants in the region requires a differential focus depending on the user and the type of resource.

Keywords : Ethnobotany; traditional knowledge; food plants; wild foods; Afro-Colombians.

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