Tropentag 2020, September 9 - 11, virtual conference, Germany "Food and nutrition security and its resilience to global crises"

Collection, Use and Commercialisation of Indigenous Plant Species by Households Living in Barotse Floodplain, Zambia

Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Fac. of Tropical AgriSciences, Czech Republic

Abstract

Indigenous plant species play crucial role in the livelihoods of households in tropical regions. These species are used to meet various needs, such as maintaining food security, generation of additional income, or preservation of traditional knowledge. In these days they have been recognized as key stone of agrobiodiversity and valuable genetic resource that might help to mitigate negative impacts of climate change. Their importance has been increasingly highlighted not just by researchers, but also by policy makers. The main aim of this contribution is to provide an overview of existing literature on economic aspects of indigenous species utilization by households living in Barotse floodplains in western part of Zambia. Special attention is given to external and internal household factors related to collection and use of these species. Furthermore, overview of current research and development projects focusing on indigenous species in target will be provided.

Keywords: Food security, households, Miombo woodlands, sustainable agriculture, Zambia

Contact Address: Moonga Mbozi, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Fac. of Tropical AgriSciences, 165 00 Prague, Czech Republic, e-mail: xmbom001studenti.czu.cz