Indigenous knowledge and marketing of edible wild fruits in Zimbabwe: A case study of Shurugwi, Gokwe south, Chirumhanzu, and Chivi districts

Patience Nemapare (), Desmond Tichaona Mugadza (), Tendekayi Henry Gadaga () and Talknice Zvamaziva Jombo ()

Journal of Food Technology Research, 2024, vol. 11, issue 3, 62-81

Abstract: This study examines Zimbabwe’s indigenous knowledge and marketing of edible wild fruits. Edible wild fruits contribute significantly to rural communities’ nutrition in Zimbabwe. Recent research has shown that the indigenous fruits are now sold at markets and contribute to household income. A cross-sectional study was conducted in four districts of Shurugwi, Gokwe South, Chirumhanzu, and Chivi, in Zimbabwe, to investigate the role of traditional beliefs on marketing practices of edible indigenous fruits. A semi-structured questionnaire, which covered the demographic characteristics of respondents, type of fruits, preservation or processing methods, marketing channels, pricing, and uses of the fruits and income, was used. Interviews took place with 150 respondents in total. Most (51.4%) of the respondents were in the age group 35-54 years of age, and were mostly females. Although their main source of income was farming (48.7%), a reasonable income (10%) was obtained from trading, including selling edible wild fruits. The four districts reported a total of 42 edible indigenous fruits. The most common fruits were Uuapacakirkiana, Vitexpayos, Azanzagarckeana, Ximenia. caffra, Strychnosspinosa, Diospyrosmespiliformis, Vangueriainfausta, Grewiaflavescens, and Adansoniadigitata.Respondents indicated that they consumed the fruits for nutritional (71.3%) and medicinal (42%) purposes. Drying, juicing, and fermentation were reported as the most common methods of processing indigenous fruits at household level. The study showed that there is potential for indigenous edible wild fruits to contribute to nutrition and household income. The marketing of the fruits needs to be regulated across the value chain.

Keywords: Edible indigenous fruits; Marketing; Traditional knowledge; Value addition; Value chain; Wild fruits. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://archive.conscientiabeam.com/index.php/58/article/view/3806/8178 (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:pkp:joftre:v:11:y:2024:i:3:p:62-81:id:3806

Access Statistics for this article

More articles in Journal of Food Technology Research from Conscientia Beam
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Dim Michael ().