Food plants of the Luo Siaya district, Kenya

Abstract

Plants used for food by the Luo-speaking people of Siaya District, Kenya, were surveyed as part of a comprehensive ethnobotanical study. Fifty-two crops were observed under cultivation in the district; 69 species are gathered from the wild. Wild fruits, underground portions, leaves, and fungal fruiting bodies are probably important in Siaya as dietary supplements. These non-cultivated resources, particularly important in the driest areas of the district, warrant evaluation for their role as a buffer against periods of food shortage.