Abstract
Despite the growing interest in the miracle plant worldwide due to its numerous applications, the threats and the wild harvest of the species hamper its sustainable utilisation. Moreover, traditional knowledge so far documented on the species is limited to a narrow geographical coverage of its natural distribution range, which is West and Central Africa. This study analysed the use variation and knowledge acquisition pattern of the miracle plant among West African sociolinguistic groups and deciphered the drivers of populations’ willingness and readiness to engage in cultivating the species. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 510 respondents purposively selected from nine sociolinguistic groups in Benin and Ghana using the snowball sampling approach. Information was collected on respondents’ socio-demographic profile, miracle plant ownership, plant parts used and preparation methods, knowledge of the species bioecology, perceived threats on the species, willingness to cultivate, maximum acreage to allocate to the species and maximum price to pay for a seedling. Descriptive statistics, generalized linear models, classification and regression tree models were used for data analysis. The miracle plant ownership mode depended on the age category. Sociolinguistic affiliation, level of schooling, migratory status and religion significantly affected the number of trees owned. We recorded 76 uses belonging to six use categories. The overall use-value of the miracle plant significantly varied according to the respondent sociolinguistic affiliation, main activity and religion. Men were the main source of knowledge and knowledge is mainly acquired along the family line. Knowledge related to food and social uses was mostly acquired from parents and people of the same generation, while magico-therapeutic and medicinal use-related knowledge were inherited from parents and grandparents. Sociolinguistic affiliation, awareness of taboos and market availability were the most important drivers of respondent willingness to cultivate the miracle plant. While the respondent’s level of schooling and perception of plant growth rate determined the maximum acreage they were willing to allocate to the species in cultivation schemes, their main activity, sociolinguistic affiliation and knowledge of the species time to fruiting drove the maximum purchase price they were willing to offer for a seedling of the species. Our findings provide key information for the promotion of miracle plant cultivation in the study area.
Highlights
The miracle plant Synsepalum dulcificum (Schumach & Thonn.) Daniell [Syn: Richardella dulcifica (Schumach & Thonn.) Baehni] is a slow-growing West African native tree species belonging to the Sapotaceae family [1]
A total of 45% of respondents in this study indicated their willingness to cultivate S. dulcificum and the extent of their readiness to do so was evaluated through the maximum acreage they were ready to allocate to the crop and the maximum price they were ready to pay to acquire an ordinary seedling of a miracle plant
The present study revealed that the miracle plant is a multi-purpose medicinal plant species with a diversity of local names, mostly known for its food value in Benin and Ghana
Summary
The miracle plant Synsepalum dulcificum (Schumach & Thonn.) Daniell [Syn: Richardella dulcifica (Schumach & Thonn.) Baehni] is a slow-growing West African native tree species belonging to the Sapotaceae family [1]. It naturally thrives in West and Central Africa where it grows on well-drained acidic soils with pH ranging between 4.5. In West Africa (e.g., Benin and Ghana), the species is found in gallery forests, home gardens, backyards, fallows and farms [4,5], and is semi-domesticated, benefiting from weeding, fertilization and pruning as main management practices [5]. The species is well-known for being a unique natural source of “miraculin”, a taste modifying glycoprotein contained in the miracle fruit pulp, which has a sweetening effect on any sour food [7]
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