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The Influence Of Socio-Economic Factors On The Level Of Knowledge, Domestication And Retention Of Medicinal Plants: The Case Of Duru-Haitemba Villages, Babati District, Tanzania
Abstract
In developing countries, the majority of local people rely largely on medicinal plants to treat common diseases. This reliance is due to a number of reasons among which economic and cultural backgrounds play important role. This study carried out using PRA and household surveys in 45 randomly selected households from four villages around Duru-Haitemba village forest in Babati, Tanzania. The objective of the study was to investigate the influence of socio-economic factors on the level of knowledge of ethnomedicinal plants, domestication and retention of medicinal plants in home gardens. Socio-economic factors investigated include education level, gender, age, religion, income level and distance to the forest. Among these factors, religion and income level were found to influence significantly the level of knowledge of medicinal plants and domestication efforts. The study argues that medicinal plants are of critical importance in the livelihoods of local people particularly poor households and therefore adequate actions should be taken to preserve them.
TJFNC Vol. 76 2007: pp. 59-66
