Indigenous knowledge holds key to Africa's food security

Traditional knowledge held by indigenous and local communities across Africa could play an important role in strengthening food security and conserving biodiversity, according to experts.

Speaking during a webinar organized by the African Forest Forum this week, experts said forests provide vital food, nutrition and income for millions of people. However, they warned that both forest ecosystems and the knowledge systems that sustain them are under increasing threat.

Doris Mutta, a senior program officer at the African Forest Forum, said forests and tree-based systems complement agricultural production by providing more diverse and nutritious diets.

"Our conventional agricultural strategies have not been adequate in eliminating global hunger, resulting in unbalanced diets that lack nutritional diversity and enhance exposure of the most vulnerable groups to volatile food prices," she said.

According to Mutta, rural and indigenous communities across Africa rely on wild and cultivated forest products to meet daily dietary needs and build resilience to climate change.

Species such as baobab, marula, shea, tamarind and other indigenous fruits contribute significantly to household nutrition while generating income through local and international markets.

Baobab, for instance, is rich in vitamin C and is increasingly used in smoothies, energy bars and dietary supplements, while marula is widely used in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. Shea products remain important ingredients in the food and confectionery industries.

Valuable insights

"The body of traditional knowledge held by indigenous peoples in Africa provides valuable insights into natural resource use and ecosystem management and contributes to human development in various ways," she said.

Mutta noted that generations of traditional farmers have developed crop varieties with desirable traits such as drought tolerance, pest resistance and enhanced nutritional value, thus contributing to food security.

Indigenous knowledge also supports sustainable land management and conservation of agrobiodiversity, which serves as an important genetic resource for modern agriculture.

Mutta, however, warned that this knowledge is rapidly eroding as younger generations move away from traditional lifestyles and environmental degradation accelerates.

Gracias Avakoudjo, a research assistant at the Laboratory of Applied Ecology at the University of Abomey-Calavi in Benin, said the country's Upper Guinean Forest biodiversity hotspot has 31 documented tree-food species.

Avakoudjo said despite growing market demand, production of many forest food species is declining due to deforestation, agricultural expansion, habitat degradation and poor regeneration of tree populations.

"The loss of traditional knowledge is particularly concerning," he said. "As elders pass away, much valuable conservation knowledge disappears with them."

In Ethiopia, Berhane Kidane Mengesha, an independent consultant, said 25 forest species, one edible leafy vegetable species and a resin-bearing species have been identified.

"Forests and tree-derived food species contribute sustenance for households, enhancing food security in the Horn of Africa region," he said.

Mengesha noted that traditional knowledge has long supported the management and conservation of biodiversity hotspots across Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia and Djibouti, where pastoral and agro-pastoral communities depend heavily on forest resources.

However, drought, settlement expansion, population growth, illegal charcoal production and overharvesting continue to threaten these resources.

In Southern Africa's Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany biodiversity hotspot, Derek Berliner, a consultant with Eco-logic Consulting, said 115 edible forest species have been documented.

"At least 35 of the 115 food plants listed are also used as traditional medicines," he said.

However, he warned that illegal logging, poaching and unsustainable harvesting of medicinal plants are degrading forests and undermining conservation efforts.

He emphasized the importance of sacred forests, harvesting taboos and traditional leadership structures in protecting biodiversity.