Wild plants play a vital role in the everyday livelihood strategies of most rural Ethiopians, especially agro-pastoralists, pastoralists, hunter gatherers and continuous croppers. In this presentation, I share some preliminary ethnographic findings on the significant role that wild edible plants (WEPs) play in the food culture of Mun (Mursi) agro-pastoralists, with a special focus on marula (Sclerocarya birrea), a deciduous fruit-bearing tree found in abundance in the savanna woodlands of Southern Ethiopia. Carried out in close cooperation with Mun plant experts since 2019, including self-taught filmmaker, linguist and educator, Olisarali Olibui, this ongoing research seeks to scrutinize the harvesting and consumption of wild edible plant foods by men, women and children in Mun and how the everyday discourse on wild edible greens, fruits and root crops reveal the “hidden” benefits of such core foods.

The Natural Resources & Environmental Studies Institute (NRESi) at UNBC hosts a weekly lecture series at the Prince George campus. Anyone from the university or wider community with interest in the topic area is welcome to attend. Presentations are also made available to remote participants through Zoom Webinar. Go to http://www.unbc.ca/nres-institute/colloquium-webcasts to view the presentation remotely.

Past NRESi colloquium presentations and special lectures can be viewed on our video archive, available here.