A substantial body of research has been conducted with the objective of enhancing the understanding of Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFP) in Central Africa. A significant proportion of the studies focus on medicinal pl...A substantial body of research has been conducted with the objective of enhancing the understanding of Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFP) in Central Africa. A significant proportion of the studies focus on medicinal plants, in contrast to those that examine food products. Nevertheless, studies on edible wild mushrooms as NTFPs and cultivated mushrooms, on their economic potential and value chains in the Great Lakes Region, remain scarce and largely absent for some NTFPs. In light of the aforementioned considerations, the present study aims to examine the economic potential and value chain of the production sector of wild edible mushrooms (WEM) and cultivated mushrooms (CM) within the Virunga National Park (PNVi) and its surrounding areas in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). To this end, a sample of 432 respondents was selected, distributed equitably among the actors of the Goma-Kitshanga-Mweso value chain, the Goma-Rutshuru chain, the Beni-Mutwanga chain, and the Beni-Mangina chain. A digital questionnaire consisting of open and closed questions was administered, and observations were carried out concurrently. The quantities of mushrooms sold were weighed and photographed. The results demonstrated that, when the eight-month fruiting period of wild and cultivated mushrooms was considered as a single year for all actors within the value chain, a picker could sell 6.1 kg at $2 and earn $12. A seller could sell 16 kg at $4 and earn $64, while a grower could sell 502 kg at $3 and earn $1506. Consequently, the CM grower generates a significantly higher profit than other participants in the value chain, despite the expenses he incurs. Ultimately, the domestication of WEM, highly prized by the local population of the Virunga National Park, has the potential to enhance their household incomes, as evidenced by the findings of this study.展开更多
This study deals with the perceptions of indigenous knowledge in the field of conservation and the impact of climate change on biodiversity in the peripheral villages of the Bouba-Ndjidda National Park (PNBN), Departm...This study deals with the perceptions of indigenous knowledge in the field of conservation and the impact of climate change on biodiversity in the peripheral villages of the Bouba-Ndjidda National Park (PNBN), Department of Mayo-Rey, Cameroon. To this end, 23 out of 70 villages in the study area were selected, for a sample of 368 households surveyed through a questionnaire addressed to the heads of households. Data collection took place from August 27 to December 22, 2022. The results reveal that 70.7% of the population living near the PNBN practice agriculture as their main income-generating activity, followed by livestock (23.3%) and trade (6%). Knowledge in the field of the conservation of natural resources is rooted in occultism through rituals and sacrifices (99.50%) offered to the geniuses of nature and prohibitions on the felling of trees and sacred animals (13.00%). The populations perceive climate change through the variation of the seasons (97.60%), the increase in temperature (84.80%), the reduction in the duration of the rainy seasons (54.60%), the drop in agricultural yield (84.80%) and floods (74.70%). The consequence of these changes on wildlife is the disappearance of animal species such as the Rhinoceros, the Wild Dog, the Cheetah and the Ostrich. In order to cope with climate change, the natives have developed strategies such as the adoption of early crop varieties (maize, millet, soybeans, etc.), the reorganization of the agricultural calendar, the practice of reforestation, extension of field surfaces, the cessation of excessive deforestation and uncontrolled bush fires, the construction of fired brick houses, the practice of irrigation, seasonal migration and occultism. This indigenous knowledge is a perfect adaptation to climate change and makes it possible to better take into account the vision of local populations in the conservation of biodiversity.展开更多
文摘A substantial body of research has been conducted with the objective of enhancing the understanding of Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFP) in Central Africa. A significant proportion of the studies focus on medicinal plants, in contrast to those that examine food products. Nevertheless, studies on edible wild mushrooms as NTFPs and cultivated mushrooms, on their economic potential and value chains in the Great Lakes Region, remain scarce and largely absent for some NTFPs. In light of the aforementioned considerations, the present study aims to examine the economic potential and value chain of the production sector of wild edible mushrooms (WEM) and cultivated mushrooms (CM) within the Virunga National Park (PNVi) and its surrounding areas in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). To this end, a sample of 432 respondents was selected, distributed equitably among the actors of the Goma-Kitshanga-Mweso value chain, the Goma-Rutshuru chain, the Beni-Mutwanga chain, and the Beni-Mangina chain. A digital questionnaire consisting of open and closed questions was administered, and observations were carried out concurrently. The quantities of mushrooms sold were weighed and photographed. The results demonstrated that, when the eight-month fruiting period of wild and cultivated mushrooms was considered as a single year for all actors within the value chain, a picker could sell 6.1 kg at $2 and earn $12. A seller could sell 16 kg at $4 and earn $64, while a grower could sell 502 kg at $3 and earn $1506. Consequently, the CM grower generates a significantly higher profit than other participants in the value chain, despite the expenses he incurs. Ultimately, the domestication of WEM, highly prized by the local population of the Virunga National Park, has the potential to enhance their household incomes, as evidenced by the findings of this study.
文摘This study deals with the perceptions of indigenous knowledge in the field of conservation and the impact of climate change on biodiversity in the peripheral villages of the Bouba-Ndjidda National Park (PNBN), Department of Mayo-Rey, Cameroon. To this end, 23 out of 70 villages in the study area were selected, for a sample of 368 households surveyed through a questionnaire addressed to the heads of households. Data collection took place from August 27 to December 22, 2022. The results reveal that 70.7% of the population living near the PNBN practice agriculture as their main income-generating activity, followed by livestock (23.3%) and trade (6%). Knowledge in the field of the conservation of natural resources is rooted in occultism through rituals and sacrifices (99.50%) offered to the geniuses of nature and prohibitions on the felling of trees and sacred animals (13.00%). The populations perceive climate change through the variation of the seasons (97.60%), the increase in temperature (84.80%), the reduction in the duration of the rainy seasons (54.60%), the drop in agricultural yield (84.80%) and floods (74.70%). The consequence of these changes on wildlife is the disappearance of animal species such as the Rhinoceros, the Wild Dog, the Cheetah and the Ostrich. In order to cope with climate change, the natives have developed strategies such as the adoption of early crop varieties (maize, millet, soybeans, etc.), the reorganization of the agricultural calendar, the practice of reforestation, extension of field surfaces, the cessation of excessive deforestation and uncontrolled bush fires, the construction of fired brick houses, the practice of irrigation, seasonal migration and occultism. This indigenous knowledge is a perfect adaptation to climate change and makes it possible to better take into account the vision of local populations in the conservation of biodiversity.
