RESUMO
Edible wild plants (EWP) continue to be an important food source for indigenous communities. A survey was conducted to identify the consumption and management of EWP known as quelites in the Zongolica region of Mexico. 15 species of quelites are consumed mainly during the rainy season, whose local name is associated with the plant's shape, smell and flavor. Changes in food patterns and land use threaten the permanence and consumption of these species. Indigenous and local knowledge is crucial for the use, management and conservation of this group of plants, whose consumption can be leveraged to address malnutrition and unhealthy food use.
Assuntos
Abastecimento de Alimentos , Povos Indígenas , Plantas Comestíveis/classificação , Conservação dos Recursos Naturais , Etnobotânica , Humanos , Desnutrição , México , Estações do AnoRESUMO
Edible and medicinal weeds being commercialised for the first time in an urban horticulturalists fair were studied with an ethnobotanical approach in Bariloche (Patagonia, Argentina). The effects of three community workshops carried out previously were analysed, paying particular attention to the cosmovision, attitudes and behaviour of the horticulturalists regarding these plants. The methodology also included 25 open interviews, participative observation and a field surveys carried out together with the informants. A total richness of 29 species of edible and medicinal use was registered, the majority being of European origin. Before the workshops, the ideas and appreciation of the use of wild plants as food were generally negative, being associated with poverty. In contrast, their medicinal uses were more readily accepted. Following the workshops, however, attitudes and behaviour reflected a more positive general assessment, leading to their commercialisation and a marked tendency towards innovation in knowledge that could be combined with the participants traditional knowledge. The importance of this kind of applied ethnobotany project should be noted, and its contribution to the development of local communities.
Desde una aproximación etnobotánica, se estudiaron las malezas comestibles y medicinales comercializadas por primera vez en una feria urbana de horticultores de Bariloche (Patagonia, Argentina), analizando los alcances de tres talleres comunitarios llevados a cabo previamente, y teniendo particular interés en las concepciones, actitudes y comportamientos acerca de dichas plantas entre los horticultores. La metodología incluyó también 25 entrevistas libres, observación participante y relevamientos a campo junto a informantes. Se registró una riqueza de total de 29 especies de uso medicinal y comestible, la mayoría de origen europeo. Antes de los talleres, las concepciones y valoraciones acerca de la utilización de las malezas como alimento eran en general negativas, asociándolas con la pobreza. En cambio, sus usos medicinales fueron mejor aceptados. Sin embargo, luego de los talleres, las actitudes y los comportamientos reflejaron valoraciones generales más positivas resultando en la comercialización de las mismas y una marcada tendencia hacia la innovación de saberes que podían hibridizarse con los saberes tradicionales de las personas. Se rescata la importancia de este tipo de proyectos de etnobotánica aplicada y su aporte al desarrollo de las comunidades locales.