Los otros alimentos: Plantas comestibles silvestres y arvenses en dos comunidades campesinas de los Andes Centrales del Perú

The other foods: Wild and weed edible plants in two peasant communities in the Central Andes of Peru

Abstract

Numerous wild, weedy and ruderal plants are recognized as valuable resources for food and nutrition of traditional rural peoples worldwide and were broadly consumed in the pre-Columbian Peru. However, the Peruvian ethnobotanical studies have been mainly centred on medicinal plants and general inventories of useful plants, but few information is available on their management. Sustainable strategies for food security should be based on traditional management techniques; therefore, this study aimed at recording wild, weedy and ruderal plants used as food by communities from the Andean highlands of Huánuco, their forms of preparation, management, habitat and periods of availability. Through a “snowball” sampling method we identified expert people knowing edible plants; with them, we conducted free listing to identify the most significant plants, semi-structured interviews and ethnobotanical walking. Through focus groups we constructed participatory check lists and maps of the communitarian territories, identifying places where edible plant resources occur. We documented 142 edible plant species, most of them used as beverages and greens, 47.2% with medicinal properties. Simple gathering and tolerance or let standing plants after disturbance are the most common management forms. The main habitats providing edible resources are the chacra and the pluviifolia savanna, during the whole year or the wet season. The use of these sites in the ecological floors called Puna, Suni and Quechua illustrate the vertical management of the environments, which correspond to strategies of use and management of resources oriented to counteracting environmental risks. The plant resources recorded significantly contribute to local food sovereignty, but traditional knowledge linked to these resources are in risk of disappearing. We consider a priority to support diffusion about benefits of consuming these plant resources as well as bromatological studies to document their nutrimental contribution to diet.