Traditional Knowledge on Mushroom Consumption Habits of Amhara Region in Four Selected Districts - Mecha, Fogera, Bahirdarzuria and Zege by Birhanu Gizaw* in Current Investigations in Agriculture and Current Research (CIACR) in Lupine Publishers
Population growth coupled with increase in demand for food,
domestication and scientific cultivation of wild edible mushroom is
alternatives means to alleviate food shortage and malnutrition. The
purpose of this study was to assess traditional wild mushroom
consumption habit in four selected districts of Amhara region, Mecha,
Zege, Fogera and BahirDar Zuria. In this study 115 adult individuals 81
males & 34females were selected and used as information source. Data
were collected using structured open and close ended questionnaire,
interview as well as personal observation. The study result indicated
that (90.43%) of the Mecha, Zege and Bahirdar Zuria Woreda residents
have awareness about wild mushroom consumption and its various benefits.
About 9.57% of the residents do not have an awareness especially Fogera
district. Wild mushroom collection was done mainly from cultivated
farmland (65.21%) followed by termite nests (14.78%), uncultivated land
(13.04%), forest vicinity (5.21%). All family members, children, women
and men were involved in mushroom collection. However, none of the
inhabitants was found to cultivate mushrooms artificially in scientific
ways due to various reasons, 63.48% respondents said lack of awareness
on artificial mushroom cultivation method. 33.04% respondent said
non-availability of the well-known mushroom species, 3.47% responded due
to religion pressure.
All the inhabitants have stated the status of wild mushroom
distribution has been sharply decreasing from time to time since the
past two decades.They mentioned the cause of reduction are climate
change (49%), urbanization (13.51%), chemical pollution (12.57%), over
overgrazing (9.57%), unknown reason (13.91%) followed by deforestation
(8.79%) reported by the respondents. From the current study, it is
concluded that the majority of inhabitants like eating wild mushrooms
traditionally and well aware about the current decrease in wild edible
mushrooms distribution, they have neither cultivated nor are aware about
the possibility of cultivating mushroom artificially, implying that
there is an urgent need to initiate and create awareness among the
inhabitants to adopt cultivation and conservation of such very important
non-timber forest product in order to protect the decreasing status of
the wild mushroom. As well as to decrease the lake Tana basin ecosystem
destruction, Furthermore, such awareness and cultivation process could
also be important to use the mushrooms for serving to diversify
agricultural activity and supplement diet as well as income generation
in the long run for the local farming community. It is requiring to
domesticating wild edible mushroom through exploration and conservation
of this bio resource fungi of the country at national fungal culture
collection center.
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