Ethnobotanical investigation of 'wild' food plants used by rice farmers in Kalasin, Northeast Thailand

Bibliographic Data

ID4636323
AuthorsGisella S Cruz-Garcia (0000-0002-2699-3157, Graduate School Experimental Plant Sciences, corresponding author), Lisa Price (0000-0002-5353-3455, Oregon State University), Lisa L Price
Year2011
Volume7
Issue1
Pages33-33
Publication date2011-12-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1746-4269 • E-ISSN: 1746-4269
PublisherSpringer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1186/1746-4269-7-33
PMID22067578
PMCIDPMC3233498
OpenAlexW2076181489
LanguageEN
Citations received20
References cited31

Background Wild food plants are a critical component in the subsistence system of rice farmers in Northeast Thailand. One of the important characteristics of wild plant foods among farming households is that the main collection locations are increasingly from anthropogenic ecosystems such as agricultural areas rather than pristine ecosystems. This paper provides selected results from a study of wild food conducted in several villages in Northeast Thailand. A complete botanical inventory of wild food plants from these communities and surrounding areas is provided including their diversity of growth forms, the different anthropogenic locations were these species grow and the multiplicity of uses they have. Methods Data was collected using focus groups and key informant interviews with women locally recognized as knowledgeable about contemporarily gathered plants. Plant species were identified by local taxonomists. Results A total of 87 wild food plants, belonging to 47 families were reported, mainly trees, herbs (terrestrial and aquatic) and climbers. Rice fields constitute the most important growth location where 70% of the plants are found, followed by secondary woody areas and home gardens. The majority of species (80%) can be found in multiple growth locations, which is partly explained by villagers moving selected species from one place to another and engaging in different degrees of management. Wild food plants have multiple edible parts varying from reproductive structures to vegetative organs. More than two thirds of species are reported as having diverse additional uses and more than half of them are also regarded as medicine. Conclusions This study shows the remarkable importance of anthropogenic areas in providing wild food plants. This is reflected in the great diversity of species found, contributing to the food and nutritional security of rice farmers in Northeast Thailand

Agricultural biodiversity · Agriculture · Agroforestry · Biodiversity · Biology · Ecosystem · Ethnobotany · Forest gardening · Geography · Medicinal plants · Subsistence agriculture · African Botany and Ecology Studies · Ethnobotanical and Medicinal Plants Studies · Ginger and Zingiberaceae research · Pacific and Southeast Asian Studies · Southeast Asian Sociopolitical Studies · Ecology