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Western European societies, ecologies, and economies were significantly impacted by industrialization after WWII. Steadily increasing urbanization and the abandonment of traditional agricultural activities led to a rapid erosion of local environmental knowledge (LEK). We conducted 40 semi-structured interviews in Padua, one of the most industrialized areas of Italy, to identify changes and drivers of change in plant foraging. We documented the use of 56 plant, fungal, and animal taxa, including the most foraged Humulus lupulus, Silene vulgaris, and Papaver rhoeas. These are mainly prepared in risottos, frittatas, and boiled mixtures. During their lifetime, 68% of the interviewees redirected their foraging area, 25% completely abandoned their foraging practice, and 7% abandoned foraging but resumed it after retirement. Changes in the foraging area and foraging abandonment were mainly driven by increased pollution and lack of land accessibility, as well as partially related lifestyle changes and (micro)climate change. In the face of such changes and with the aim of re-establishing the connection between peri-urban communities and their land, some local committees are struggling to take back the unused spaces of the industrial area and prevent future loss of land accessibility and consequent loss of LEK. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The well-being of Indigenous communities in Alaska is inextricably linked to traditional harvest practices (THPs) such as hunting, fishing, and gathering local wild foods. Regional trends in the health of THPs have not been quantitatively evaluated in Alaska. Therefore, we surveyed Indigenous residents in the Western Coastal (n = 623) and Interior (n = 437) Regions of Alaska to estimate perceptions of the extent and cause of change in the health of THPs over the last ten years. We found that THPs improved in Western Coastal and declined in Interior Alaska. The best predictors of improvement or decline in the health of THPs were 1) change in the ability to share the harvest, 2) change in participation in hunting and fishing activities, and 3) extent of challenges caused by climate change. The odds of a decline in the health of THPs were 8 to 13 times higher for households that reported a decrease in sharing of traditional foods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A factor that has long complicated the enactment of conservation policies in Canada is that First Nations harvesting data are often missing or incomplete. Consequently conservation policies are based on population estimates that First Nations often regard as excessively precautionary and economically, politically, and racially motivated. We present the results of a regional study documenting the extent to which First Nations households from 13 First Nations communities in the Peace River region of British Columbia and Alberta participate in subsistence moose (Alces alces) hunting. Since the 1990s, the moose population in the Peace River region has exhibited episodic decline. This is a particular concern to First Nations who depend on moose as their primary source of wild food and a critical component of their culture and identity. First Nations leaders are now calling upon provincial governments to engage with them directly in a form of collaborative conservation that can build trust, cross-cultural competencies, and the co-production of new knowledge that can inform conservation policies that protect rather than restrict First Nation subsistence rights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wild edible fruits (WEFs) are important non-timber forest products (NTFP) that are commonly grouped with other wild foods or NTFPs in general. We hypothesize that WEFs, other wild foods, and non-food NTFPs contribute in different ways to household economies. Using data collected through a survey of 503 households in South Africa, we describe patterns of use of WEFs across socioeconomic and geographical gradients and compare them to the patterns of use of other wild foods and non-food NTFPs. WEFs were used by one-fifth of all sampled households, independent of economic and urbanisation gradients and were grown in or collected mostly from surrounding areas. More households, usually in rural areas, used other wild foods and non-food NTFPs, which were often purchased from other collectors. We suggest improving access to WEFs through planting to extend their nutritional, medicinal, cultural, and livelihood value to the public. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We collected data through three focus groups conducted with Wabanaki citizens (members of the Penobscot Nation, Passamaquoddy Tribe, Maliseet, and Micmac Nations) residing in Maine, USA, and the Canadian Maritime region. These sessions used a collective storytelling and discussion approach consistent with Wabanaki cultural practices to explore environmental knowledge, information on environmental change, and its impact on traditional lifeways (TLW) over time. Wild foods such as fiddleheads (Matteucia strutiopteris (L.) Tod.), berries such as blackberries (Rubus allegheniensis & R. Canadensis) and strawberries (Fragaria x ananasa), deer (Odocoileus virginianus Zimmerman), fish, and seafood provide not only physical nourishment, but also cultural connections through storytelling, harvesting, processing, and sharing of resources. It is this strong and multifaceted dependence on natural resources and systems that makes Wabanaki citizens particularly "vulnerable" to climate change, but also potentially resilient because of stories and other cultural traditions that help process and understand environmental change. We suggest storytelling continues to remain relevant as a way to connect the generations and for continued adaptation to ecosystem change and sustaining traditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the Amazon's natural wealth, food insecurity is a major concern among indigenous communities. Yet, little is known about the socio-ecological dynamics shaping the contributions of local ecosystems to food security. In this study we examine how ecological features interact with normative structures, lifestyles, and livelihoods to expose indigenous peoples to food shortages and how they attempt to cope with worsening food insecurity conditions through participatory exercises with ten indigenous communities along the Caquetá River, Colombia. Our results indicate that traditional food systems are sensitive to human and natural capital disruptions. However, severe food insecurity is prevented by the combination of a well-preserved environment and traditional social institutions, which facilitates widespread access to wild foods, farmland, environmental knowledge, supportive relations, and labour. Nevertheless, traditional adaptations appear insufficient when food insecurity results from health shocks. Our findings highlight the need for interventions that pursue conservation objectives whilst promoting social structures supporting resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wild foods contribute towards the food security of an estimated one billion people. In light of expectations of the contribution of wild foods to sustainable and climate-resilient livelihoods and widespread evidence of their consumption, their contribution to households’ diets requires a more nuanced understanding, specifically with respect to their safety net function during food shortages. Data were collected from two villages in Venda, South Africa, selected due to differences in mean annual precipitation. Semi-structured interviews were administered to 170 households and a Participatory Rural Appraisal was conducted to assess the influence of multiple variables, including household characteristics and site, on wild food use. Household archetypes were defined based on the frequency of consumption in response to increasing food scarcity. Our findings suggest limitations to the safety net function of wild foods including seasonal fluctuations in availability and decreased availability during extreme events, with dependent households decreasing their consumption frequency in response to food scarcity. Given this potential poverty trap, further research is required, particularly in terms of when the safety net function of wild foods may be weak or detrimental to the livelihoods of the vulnerable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is growing recognition of the contribution of wild foods to local diets, nutrition, and culture. Yet disaggregation of understanding of wild food use by gender and age is limited. We used a mixed methods approach to determine the types, frequencies, and perceptions of wild foods used and sold by children in four villages in southern Malawi that have different levels of deforestation. Household and individual dietary diversity scores are low at all sites. All households consume one or more wild foods. Across the four sites, children listed 119 wild foods, with a wider variety at the least deforested sites than the most deforested ones. Older children can name more wild foods than younger ones. More children from poor households sell wild foods than from well-off households. Several reasons were provided for the consumption or avoidance of wild foods (most commonly taste, contribution to health, limited alternatives, hunger, availability, local taboos). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We contribute to a growing body of literature on wild food harvesting by examining culturally specific relationships with wild food, the extent and frequency of wild food use in forests, and young people's wild food consumption. We gathered qualitative data in the Talamanca Bribri Territory, Costa Rica, using participant observation, interviews, and household surveys. We found that wild food consumption was related to nutrition, health, religious beliefs, identity, dietary variety, and resource availability. Consumption occurred in all households and its frequency depended upon opportunities to harvest and/or access to sharing networks. In all households, younger members consumed wild plants and in most households they also ate wild meat. All households harvested their own plants but not all households harvested their own meat. Consequently, sharing was relatively more common for meat than plants. Lastly, sharing was important for older and younger generations and women who lacked opportunities to harvest food due to health, time, school, and work constraints. Our results can be used to design forest management policies that respect community access to wild food. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents results from a year-long household survey in which the aquatic resource collection and consumption activities of 240 households across Lao PDR were studied to assess the diversity of species used, their role in household food security and the overall importance of ricefield habitats in this respect. Results show that aquatic biodiversity, under threat in rice-based ecosystems, plays a larger role in household consumption than previous estimates. More than 90 % of these resources are collected by households themselves and the greatest quantities from ricefield habitats. This seasonal aquatic environment is therefore the principal habitat from which households acquire aquatic animals, both to eat fresh and to process and store for use during nutritionally vulnerable times of year. The importance of these habitats therefore goes far beyond their use for rice production and this multi-functionality needs to be understood and addressed in agricultural, conservation and food security policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many conservation policies advocate engagement with local people, but conservation practice has sometimes been criticised for a simplistic understanding of communities and social context. To counter this, this paper explores social structuring and its influences on conservation-related behaviours at the site of a conservation intervention near Pipar forest, within the Seti Khola valley, Nepal. Qualitative and quantitative data from questionnaires and Rapid Rural Appraisal demonstrate how links between groups directly and indirectly influence behaviours of conservation relevance (including existing and potential resource-use and proconservation activities). For low-status groups the harvesting of resources can be driven by others' preference for wild foods, whilst perceptions of elite benefit-capture may cause reluctance to engage with future conservation interventions. The findings reiterate the need to avoid relying on simple assumptions about 'community' in conservation, and particularly the relevance of understanding relationships between groups, in order to understand natural resource use and implications for conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article Children and Wild Foods in the Context of Deforestation in Rural Malawi, written by H. Maseko, Charlie M. Shackleton, J. Nagoli and D. Pullanikkatil, was originally published Online First without open access.Information on research funding presented in the paper by Maseko et al., “Children and wild foods in the context of deforestation in rural Malawi” is incorrect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]