Contribution of wild plants to food and nutritional resilience and challenges to their sustainability
KEY MESSAGES
- The contribution to food security of wild plants, which are most often consumed seasonally, is poorly documented in national statistics. However, the bush provides wild edible vegetation that is an integral part of the livelihoods of local communities.
- Wild plants provide leaves, stems, fruits, bark, and roots that contribute to household food and nutritional security through direct or deferred consumption, particularly for vulnerable households, mainly during the lean season and/or winter.
- They also represent an economic opportunity for young people and women, enabling them to generate substantial income and thus have access to different foodstuffs on the markets.
- Beyond their use as food, and depending on the linguistic and professional social groups, bush products are used for other purposes. They serve as livestock feed and contribute to varying degrees to the traditional treatment of certain diseases, both animal and human.
- A triple pressure of climatic, environmental, and anthropogenic factors poses a challenge to the sustainable exploitation of wild plants in Niger.