Research on Indigenous Knowledge and its Application: A Case of wild food plants of Zimbabwe

BACKGROUND

There has been so much emphasis on the documentation of Indigenous Knowledge due to the fear that it is getting lost. However, little attention has been given to the application of this knowledge and how it should benefit indigenous communities. Hence this study drew its research on wild food plants of Zimbabwe and attempted to show how indigenous knowledge can be applied in education and community settings. 

RESEARCH GOALS AND METHODS

A checklist of indigenous food plants of Zimbabwe was compiled from direct observations in the field and through unstructured interviews, market surveys of wild food plants available in the street markets in main cities, personal knowledge, and knowledge from colleagues. This information was verified using secondary data sources from a literature survey of documented wild food plants in Zimbabwe and Southern Africa, and the checklist was statistically analyzed.

CONCLUSIONS AND TAKEAWAYS

The authors state that the application of this knowledge is necessary in participatory community development and education settings. Furthermore, there is need to process and effectively market these wild food plants so that they can be acceptable in current food markets.