Abstract
Aim of study: Edible products from tree species were identified in Burkina Faso and their contribution to the diet in the lean season was assessed. The main threats affecting most consumed food tree species were also documented.Area of study: Six villages across two phytogeographic regions of Burkina FasoMaterial and methods: Focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews, including a 7-day dietary intake recall targeting women; semi-structured interviews targeting key male informants.Main results: The number of edible tree products consumed was found to vary according to phytogeographic region and ethnic group. A few tree species played a disproportionally greater role in the diet and were characterized by very high frequency of consumption by the majority of households in both phytogeographic regions and across ethnicities: Adansonia digitata, Parkia biglobosa and Vitellaria paradoxa. These species are not critically endangered at country level but they are perceived as scarcely available at local level. Considering that the main threats on priority tree species (fires, drought, pest and diseases) vary across regions, to maintain sustainable sources of nutrients in the landscape, mitigation measures should be diversified and adapted to local pressures.Research highlights: Priorities for conservation are emerging clearly, but research efforts should also target underutilized tree species for their potential to diversify nutrient-poor diets.
Highlights
Forests play a role in many food systems, through direct and indirect provisioning for human nutrition and through ecosystem services
This study highlights the important role of edible products harvested from trees in diversifying diets of rural communities in Burkina Faso during the lean season
The number of edible products consumed varies according to phytogeographic region and ethnic composition of the community living in a particular site
Summary
Forests play a role in many food systems, through direct and indirect provisioning for human nutrition and through ecosystem services. Consumption of wild foods from forest landscapes has a large potential to contribute to mitigating nutritional deficiencies (Powell et al, 2015). In most cases, these are due to a lack of diversity in the diet (Lachat et al, 2017) and a poor supply of micronutrients (Black et al, 2013). An increasing number of studies has documented the contribution of wild forest foods to the diet and suggested a link between forest cover and dietary quality (Johnson et al, 2013; Ickowitz et al, 2014). Semi-disturbed forested environments with anthropic influence and mixed land use types (e.g., swidden agriculture, agroforestry, natural forest, tree crop plantations) seem to be associated with higher frequency of consumption of food groups rich in micronutrients (Ickowitz et al, 2016)
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