Impediments, opportunities and strategies to enhance trade of wild and semi-wild food plants in Bunyoro- Kitara Kingdom, Uganda
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Date
2011
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
International Journal of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants
Abstract
This study examined the impediments, opportunities and strategies to enhance trade of wild and semiwild
food plants (WSWFPs) in Bunyoro-Kitara Kingdom, Uganda. Semi-structured questionnaire was
administered face-to-face to sixty six (66) traders of WSWFPs in the formal markets: five (5) mobile
hawkers and eleven (11) home-based/roadside traders. As a result of their small number, all traders that
were found selling WSWFPs were interviewed. Data were analysed using simple descriptive statistics in
excel spreadsheet and MINITAB statistical package. A number of challenges including high
perishability, market dues, inaccurate consumers’ perceptions, seasonal shortfalls and unreliable
supply, unorganized markets, little or no value addition, limited market information, and the inexistence
of market promotional activities affected the trade in WSWFPs. However, the growing market demands,
increasing focus of most service providers in creating awareness on WSWFPs, ever-changing
perception on nutritional values of WSWFPs by the public, current government emphasis on value
addition of traded agricultural products, little or no capital requirement for starting up trade in
WSWFPs, and absence of restrictive regulations on sale of WSWFPs were regarded as good
opportunities that could be exploited to enhance trade in WSWFPs. Key strategies for improved
marketing WSWFPs included among other things, training gatherers and traders on value adding
activities prior to sale, deliberate investment in promotional and awareness campaigns to expose the
hidden benefits of WSWFPs, scrapping market dues levied on traders selling WSWFPs, helping
gatherers and sellers to organise themselves to form viable supply and market groups, linking
gatherers and sellers to good markets, as well as providing them with available market information.
There is thus, a need for concerted efforts to implement some of these feasible marketing strategies to
improve on the markets of WSWFPs in the kingdom.
Description
Keywords
Wild edibles, wild food, semi-cultivated food, marketing wild food, Uganda
Citation
Agea, J. G., Okia, C. A., Obua, J., Hall, J., & Teklehaimanot, Z. (2011). Wild and semi-wild food plants in Bunyoro-Kitara Kingdom, Uganda: cultural significance, local perceptions and social implications of their consumption. International Journal of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, 1(2), 137-152. DOI: 10.5897/AJEST2013. 1513