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Mieso District

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The traditional use of wild edible plants in pastoral and agro ... link.springer.com Springer Feb 23, 2023 58 facts

measurementWild edible plants in Mieso District serve multiple purposes beyond food, including fodder (23 species), fuel (21 species), medicine (13 species), construction, cosmetics, and beekeeping.

measurementIn the Mieso District, the most widely used edible plant parts are fruits (39 species or 95%), followed by roots and bark (1 species each).

measurementIn Mieso District, the majority of wild edible plants (23 species) are collected from forest habitats, followed by a combination of village and forest habitats (8 species), swamp habitats (6 species), and village habitats only (4 species).

measurementThe primary languages spoken in Mieso District are Afan Oromo (88.37%), Amharic (5.61%), and Somali (5.29%).

measurementThe six wild edible plant species with the highest use values (UVs) in the Mieso District are F. indica (1.4), C. spinarum (1.1), Z. spina-christi (0.6), G. villosa (0.5), C. monoica (0.3), and O. ficus-indica (0.2).

claimWild fruits and vegetables with market potential can serve as income sources for residents in the Mieso District, and wild edible plants with excellent traits can be preserved through the cross-breeding of new plant varieties.

measurementMieso District is situated 300 km southeast of Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia.

claimWild edible plants used for medicinal purposes in Mieso District are referred to as nutraceutical plants or dietary medicines.

measurementIn Mieso District, Ethiopia, wild edible plants are utilized for multiple purposes including fodder (23 species), fuel (21 species), medicine (13 species), construction (10 species), cosmetics (4 species), bee keeping (2 species), and other uses such as detergent substitutes, fencing, cleaning teeth, and shade (1 species each).

claimThe high number of wild edible plants from the families Malvaceae, Fabaceae, and Rhamnaceae in the Mieso District is likely due to the better adaptation potential of these families across wider ranges of altitudes.

claimNutraceutical or medicinal dietary plants in Mieso District are used to treat livestock ailments (retained placenta, eye diseases, diarrhea) and human ailments (cancer, wounds, malaria, hepatitis, bleeding, dandruff, headache, bone fracture, anemia, nausea, scabies, intestinal parasites, and bloating).

claimAll recorded wild edible plants in the Mieso District are consumed fresh without additional processing.

measurementMost participants (85%) in Mieso District gained their knowledge of wild edible plants from their parents, followed by elders (12%) and friends and relatives (3%).

claimIn Mieso District, Rhus natalensis Bernh. ex C.Krauss is used as fodder for cattle and camels, C. spinarum L. and P. capensis Eckl. & Zeyh. are used for bee keeping, G. villosa Willd. is used as a detergent substitute, and C. spinarum L. is used for cleaning teeth.

measurementThe total population of Mieso District is 202,580, consisting of 115,836 men and 86,744 women, with 40,777 urban dwellers and 161,803 rural inhabitants.

measurementResearchers documented 41 species of wild edible plants (WEPs) belonging to 33 genera and 21 families in the Mieso District, which are utilized during food shortages and as dietary supplements.

claimTraditional medicine in Mieso District utilizes the roots, leaves, fruits, and bulbs of medicinal dietary plants; specifically, three species use roots, fruits, and bulbs, while ten species use leaves.

claimIn Mieso District, plant species including T. indica L., D. abyssinica (A.Rich.) Warb., G. villosa Willd., H. abyssinica A.Br., M. kummel Bruce ex A.DC., Cordia africana Lam., M. africana L., P. montanus Benth., A. schimperi (A.DC.) Schweinf., and R. natalensis Bernh. ex C. Krauss were reported as rarely encountered.

measurementThe four main ethnic groups in Mieso District are Oromo (88.09%), Somali (5.77%), Amhara (3.46%), and Argoba (0.66%).

claimAll respondents in Mieso District transfer their knowledge of wild edible plants orally along the family line.

claimCommonly cultivated crops in Mieso District include sorghum, maize, sesame, and haricot beans.

claimSome wild plants in Mieso District provide cash income for the local population.

measurementThe wild edible plant species with the lowest use values (UVs) in the Mieso District are Abutilon mauritianum, Acacia tortilis, D. abyssinica, Embelia schimperi, and S. americanum, each with a UV of 0.01.

measurementAmong the wild edible plants documented in Mieso District, the family Malvaceae is the best-represented with 6 species, followed by Fabaceae and Rhamnaceae with 4 species each.

claimThe rural population of the Mieso District in Ethiopia is highly dependent on wild edible plant resources.

measurementThe mean annual temperature of Mieso District is 21 °C, and the average annual rainfall is 790 mm.

claimThe high use value of F. indica in the Mieso District is likely related to its multiple uses, including medicine, construction material, fuel, and fodder.

procedureEthnobotanical data collection in Mieso District was conducted from March 2021 to May 2022 across three seasons.

claimWild edible plants in the Mieso District of Ethiopia are threatened by deforestation and agricultural expansion, while the associated indigenous knowledge is disappearing due to oral-based transmission.

claimIn the Mieso District, the genera Acacia, Grewia, and Ziziphus each contain three species of wild edible plants, while Cordia and Opuntia each contain two species, and 21 other genera contain one species each.

claimThe high overlap of wild edible plant resources between the Mieso District and both semiarid Ethiopia and the Hamer and Konso Communities is likely due to similar cultural structures and geographic similarities.

claimThe people in Mieso District, eastern Ethiopia, use wild plants as supplementary food to cultivated crops, as famine food, and for day-to-day human consumption.

measurementThe wild edible plants and their uses documented in the Mieso District show the highest overlap with studies from the Hamer and Konso Communities (17 species), followed by semiarid Ethiopia (15 taxa), Chilga District (10 taxa), Chelia District (9 taxa), Yilmana Densa and Quarit Districts (9 taxa), Yilmana Densa and Quarit Districts (8 taxa), Berek Natural Forest (7 taxa), and Bullen District (6 taxa).

measurementThe price of G. villosa Willd., H. abyssinica A.Br., R. natalensis Bernh. ex C.Krauss, M. kummel Bruce ex., and M. africana L. was 10 Birr/kg each in Mieso District due to their ample supply and wide distribution.

claimThe article 'The traditional use of wild edible plants in pastoral and agro-pastoral communities of Mieso District, eastern Ethiopia' is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

measurementAmong the wild edible plants documented in the Mieso District, the family Malvaceae is the best-represented with 6 species, followed by Fabaceae and Rhamnaceae (4 species each), Myricaceae (3 species), six families (Apocynaceae, Boraginaceae, Cactaceae, Primulaceae, Rubiaceae, Salicaceae) with 2 species each, and ten families with 1 species each.

measurementThe Mieso District in eastern Ethiopia is located between 40° 9″ 30′ E and 40° 56″ 44′ E longitude and 8° 48″ 12′ N and 9° 19″ 52′ N latitude, with elevations ranging from 900 to 1600 meters above sea level.

claimMieso District is agroecologically classified as a semiarid lowland.

accountThe ethnic community of Mieso District practices traditional knowledge regarding the use of wild edible plants, relying on these resources for dietary supplementation, income generation, and use during times of famine.

measurementThe land use in Mieso District consists of 11.5% arable land, 10.7% crop land, 23.7% cultivable land (if water is available), 9% grazing land, 8.9% pasture, and 28.7% forest, out of a total land area of 196,026 ha.

claimThe cultural uses of wild edible plants in the Mieso District overlap with uses in other parts of Ethiopia, indicating similarities in ethnobotanical knowledge and application across these regions.

claimIn the Mieso District, there is a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05) in the knowledge of wild edible plants (WEPs) based on the occupation of the informants, with farmers possessing more knowledge than individuals in other occupations.

claimThe most frequently mentioned wild edible plant species for fodder use in Mieso District are C. spinarum L., F. indica (Burm.f.) Merr., G. villosa Willd., Z. spina-christi (L.) Desf., B. discolor (klotzsch) Hemsl., R. natalensis Bernh. ex C.Krauss., P. capensis Eckl. & Zeyh., and C. monoica Roxb.

measurementInformants in the Mieso District recommended several methods for the protection and conservation of wild edible plants: awareness creation (50 mentions, 29%), on-site conservation (34 mentions, 20%), soil and water conservation (29 mentions, 17%), home garden conservation (27 mentions, 15%), fencing (25 mentions, 14%), and reforestation (8 mentions, 5%).

measurementIn Mieso District, the fruit of F. indica (Burm.f.) Merr. was sold for 50 Birr/kg, Z. spina-christi (L.) Desf. for 30 Birr/kg, T. indica L. for 20 Birr/kg, C. spinarum L. for 40 Birr/kg, B. discolor (Klotzsch) Hemsl. for 25 Birr/kg, and O. ficus-indica (L.) Mill. for 25 Birr/kg.

claimThe Mieso District Administration Office and Agricultural Office provided a support letter for field research and the socioeconomic profile of Mieso District.

measurementAccording to informants in Mieso District, the primary threats to wild edible plant resources are deforestation (54% of mentions), followed by drought (22% of mentions), and agricultural expansion (12% of mentions).

claimThe overuse of plants for multiple purposes, including fodder, medicinal, and edible uses, is a contributing factor to the rarity of certain wild edible plants in the Mieso District of Ethiopia.

measurementThe number of wild edible plant species documented in the Mieso District (41 species) is higher than those reported in similar ethnobotanical studies in Ethiopia, including Berek Natural Forest (34), Kefira market (22), Chilga District (33), Quara District (36), Kara and Kwego (38), and Yilmana Densa and Quarit Districts (32).

measurementAmong informants in Mieso District, 66% were willing to transfer their knowledge of wild edible plants to their children, 19.5% to friends, and 14.6% to any person.

measurementThe population of Mieso District is composed of 80% pastoralists, 15% agro-pastoralists, and 5% individuals engaged in crop-livestock production.

measurementRangelands in Mieso District cover approximately 73,658 ha, which is 38% of the total land area, and serve as the major feeding resource for livestock.

claimIn Mieso District, T. indica L., Z. spina-christi, C. spinarum L., and H. abyssinica A.Br. were sold for both medicinal value and edibility, whereas other wild edible plants were sold solely for edible purposes.

claimThe local people of Mieso District provided knowledge about wild edible plants to the researchers.

measurementThe livestock population in Mieso District includes 156,331 cattle, 173,927 goats, 60,294 camels, 47,705 sheep, 43,197 donkeys, and 55,612 chickens.

measurementThe majority of wild edible plants in Mieso District (28 species or 68%) are consumed only during famine or food shortages, while 9 species (22%) are used to supplement staple foods.

claimThe researchers obtained informed consent from the Oda Bultum University and Zonal and District Administration Offices prior to collecting data for the study on wild edible plants in Mieso District.

claimThe study selected six kebeles (wards) in the study district for ethnobotanical research: Torbayo (9° 14″ 19′N, 40° 61″ 1′E), Sodoma Goro Misira (9° 13″ 41′N, 40° 47″ 30′E), Huse Mendhero (9° 11″ 42'N, 40° 49″ 11′E), Huse Adami (9° 11″ 42′N, 40° 49″ 12′E), Orfo (9° 14″ 21′N, 40° 46″ 15′E), and Fayo (9° 14″ 16′N, 40° 43″ 45′E). These locations were chosen purposively from 31 total kebeles based on recommendations from local elders and authorities, and the presence of wild edible plants.

Assessment of the nutritional value of a wild edible plant Scorzonera ... discovery.researcher.life Functional Food Science Dec 1, 2025 5 facts

measurementFruits were the most widely used plant part among the wild edible plants documented in Mieso District, utilized in 39 of the 41 species (95%).

measurementThe dominant growth form for the 41 wild edible plant species documented in Mieso District was shrubs (30 species), followed by trees (11 species).

measurementThe primary threats to wild plants in Mieso District, Ethiopia, are deforestation (54%), drought (22%), and agricultural expansion (12%).

measurementAn ethnobotanical study conducted in Mieso District, Ethiopia, between March 2021 and May 2022, documented 41 wild edible plant species belonging to 33 genera and 21 families.

measurementIn the Mieso District ethnobotanical study, the plant family Malvaceae was the best-represented with 6 species, followed by Fabaceae and Rhamnaceae with 4 species each.

Ethnobotanical study of wild edible plants in Shabelle Zone, Eastern ... link.springer.com Springer Feb 5, 2026 1 fact

referenceTahir M, Abrahim A, Beyene T, Dinsa G, Guluma T, Alemneh Y, Van Damme P, Geletu US, and Mohammed A studied the traditional use of wild edible plants in pastoral and agro-pastoral communities of Mieso District, Eastern Ethiopia, published in Tropical Medicine and Health in 2023.