Co esponding au ho : KOUAKOU Yao Be in
Copy igh © 2025 Au ho (s) e ain he copy igh o his a icle. This a icle is published unde he e ms o he C ea i e Commons A ibu ion Liscense 4.0.
E hnobo anical s udy o edible plan s sold in h ee ma ke s and implica ions o ood
secu i y in he own o Daloa (Cen al-Wes Cô e d'I oi e)
Yao Be in KOUAKOU 1, *, Yao Anice Ge ais KOUAME 1, Assoman Se ge Alain KOUAKOU 2, Djah F ançois
MALAN 3 and Adama BAKAYOKO 3
1 Ag icul u al P oduc ion Imp o emen Labo a o y, Facul y o Ag o o es y, Jean Lo ougnon Guédé Uni e si y o Daloa,
P.O. Box 150, Daloa, Cô e d'I oi e.
2 Labo a o y o En i onmen al Sciences and Technologies, Facul y o En i onmen , Jean Lo ougnon Guédé Uni e si y o
Daloa, P.O. Box 150, Daloa, Cô e d'I oi e.
3 Bo any and Plan Di e si y Labo a o y, Facul y o Na u al Science Nangui Ab ogoua Uni e si y, P.O. Box 109, Abidjan 08,
Cô e d'I oi e.
Wo ld Jou nal o Ad anced Resea ch and Re iews, 2025, 27(02), 1504-1515
Publica ion his o y: Recei ed on 12 July 2025; e ised on 18 Augus 2025; accep ed on 21 Augus 2025
A icle DOI: h ps://doi.o g/10.30574/wja .2025.27.2.2343
Abs ac
An e hnobo anical s udy o edible plan s was ca ied ou in h ee ma ke s in he own o Daloa. The e hnobo anical
app oach chosen consis ed o isi ing he ables o he women in e iewed in o de o send hem a ques ionnai e. Only
5% o edible plan ade s a e men. Mos o he women ade s had no been o school. These in es iga ions e ealed
ha pa s o 41 species, di ided in o 31 gene a and 21 amilies, a e sold. The Solonaceae amily is he mos widely sold
on he h ee ma ke s. Se en pa s o edible plan s a e sold. Whi hou , ui s, wi h a p opo ion o 38.30%, a e he mos
widely sold. Some pa s a e ea en d y. O he s a e used esh. The di e en pa s o he plan s a e consumed in en
modes, acco ding o he in o man s. Se e al lea es and seeds a e ea en in sauce.
Keywo ds: E hnobo any; Edible plan s; Daloa; Cô e d'I oi e
1. In oduc ion
The ich and di e se opical lo a o e s a mul i ude o spon aneous o cul i a ed plan s ha can help gua an ee ood
and heal h secu i y o popula ions (Kassi, 2013; Kouakou, 2019 a; Ha ouna Die e e al., 2023). Edible plan s play a
undamen al ole in human socie ies and ha e been an impo an sou ce o ood o humans h oughou his o y and
con inue o be an essen ial componen o he die s o many communi ies (Aschalew e al., 2022; Caballe o-Roque e al.,
2024). Howe e , he ood si ua ion in sub-Saha an A ica in gene al and in Cô e d'I oi e in pa icula is e y wo ying
(Bédiakon, 2020). Mo eo e , acco ding o a s udy by FAO-CI (2018), a ound 20.5% o he popula ion o Cô e d'I oi e
has no eached he minimum le el o calo ie in ake and he die o his popula ion has emained undi e si ied in all age
g oups.
Acco ding o Kouakou (2019 b), he s udy o local knowledge abou plan s, om an e hnobo anical pe spec i e, is
essen ial o enhance and p ese e adi ional knowledge while suppo ing he sus ainable managemen o na u al
esou ces. Fu he mo e, acco ding o Vanié Bi e al. (2021), he de elopmen o wild edible plan s, in eg a ing he socio-
economic and en i onmen al he i age o a me s, appea s o be an al e na i e s a egy o sus ainably inc easing
incomes and imp o ing meals o poo households in u al a eas.
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In Cô e d'I oi e, as in o he A ican coun ies, i is c ucial o gain a be e unde s anding o he di e si y o ood plan s
and hei ole in he social and economic dynamics o local ma ke s. This s udy, ca ied ou in h ee ma ke s in he own
o Daloa, is pa o his d i e o enhance he alue o local ood plan s. I aims o iden i y he plan s sold a he ma ke s,
documen hei ood uses and analyse hei economic ole o ade s and consume s. The cen al p oblem can be
o mula ed as ollows: wha is he di e si y o ood plan s p esen in he ma ke s o Daloa, and wha a e hei uses and
hei socio-economic impo ance?
The gene al aim o his wo k is o highligh he c ucial ole o ood plan s sold on local ma ke s in enhancing biodi e si y
and economic de elopmen . Th ee speci ic objec i es ollow on om his gene al objec i e. The i s speci ic objec i e
is o d aw up an in en o y o he a ious ood species sold in h ee ma ke s in Daloa. The second objec i e is o iden i y
he di e en pa s o plan s ha a e ma ke ed. The hi d objec i e was o iden i y he shap and mode o consump ion
o di e en pa s o edible plan s.
2. Ma e ials and me hods
2.1. S udy si e
This s udy ook place in h ee ma ke s in he own o Daloa. The own o Daloa is loca ed in cen al wes e n Cô e d'I oi e,
141 km om Yamoussouk o, he poli ical capi al, and 383 km om Abidjan, he economic capi al (Yéboué, 2020). The
own lies a 6°53 No h la i ude and 6°27 wes longi ude (Ahoussi e al., 2019). I is bo de ed o he No h by he
depa men s o Va oua and Zuénoula, o he Sou h by he depa men o Issia, o he Eas by he depa men o Boua lé
and o he wes by he depa men o Zoukougbeu (Gouaméné e al., 2019). I is he capi al o he Hau Sassand a
depa men and egion, occupying 28% o he su ace a ea, and is he economic hub o he egion (Kouassi e al., 2019).
I has an a ea o 15,200 Km² o an es ima ed popula ion o 591633 inhabi an s (INS, 2014). The esul s o he ecen
census published by he INS (2021) es ima ed he popula ion a a ound 421,879, making i he 4 h mos populous ci y
in he coun y. The popula ion is made up mainly o na i es (Bé é, Niaboua and Gou o), non-na i es (Baoulé, Sénou o,
Malinké) and ECOWAS popula ions, as well as a Lebanese communi y (Kouakou, 2019 a).
In Cô e d'I oi e, he Cen e-Wes egion has a humid opical clima e (Yéboué, 2020). This pa is hus cha ac e ised by
wo seasons (Kouakou, 2019 a) o unequal leng h, somewha dis up ed by cu en clima e change. The e is a ainy
season om Ma ch o Oc obe . Du ing his pe iod, he amoun o ain all a ies om mon h o mon h. Rain all peaks in
Sep embe (168.22 mm). A e he ainy season, he e is a d y season which begins in No embe and ends in Feb ua y.
The a e age annual empe a u e eco ded a he Daloa s a ion is 25.8°C. Mon hly empe a u es du ing his d y pe iod
a y sligh ly, as hey a e gene ally below 5°C. The lowes empe a u e was eco ded in July (24.93°C). The ho es mon h
o he yea is Feb ua y, wi h a empe a u e o 28.06°C (Figu e 1).
2.2. Equipmen
2.2.1. Plan ma e ial
The plan ma e ial consis s o he a ious pa s o plan species consumed and sold by ade s in he h ee ma ke s
selec ed o his s udy.
2.2.2. Technical equipmen
The echnical equipmen used du ing he s udy consis ed o : a digi al came a o aking pho og aphs; a no epad o
collec ing speci ic in o ma ion; a plas ic bag o anspo ing he species and newspape o making he ba iums.
2.3. Da a collec ion
2.3.1. Su ey pe iods
These su eys ook place o e hal a yea ( om Decembe 2024 o May 2025). We chose h ee mon hs: Decembe ,
Janua y and Feb ua y, when ain all is a e, and h ee mon hs (Ma ch, Ap il and May) du ing he ainy season. The aim
is o collec as many ood plan s as possible o sale du ing bo h pe iods o he calenda yea .
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Figu e 1 Geog aphical loca ion o he own o Daloa (Kouakou e al., 2024)
2.3.2. Choice o in e p e e s and guides
The e hnobo anical su eys we e p eceded by a scoping isi . The in o ma ion ga he ed was used o compile a da abase
on he die a y use o comme cialised plan o gans. E hnobo anical da a was collec ed h ough semi-s uc u ed
in e iews. This echnique has been used by se e al au ho s, including Abe a and Belay (2022) ; Wassie, (2024), o
collec in o ma ion on edible plan s in a ious s udies. Du ing he in e iews, we we e assis ed by in e p e e s and
guides aken om each ma ke . These guides we e chosen acco ding o wo c i e ia. Fi s ly, on he basis o hei
knowledge o plan s in hei local language. Secondly, hey had o be luen in he local language and unde s and and be
able o exp ess hemsel es in F ench (Kouakou, 2019 b; Bédiakon, 2020). The in e iews we e conduc ed in local
languages (Malinké, Bé é o Baoulé) and in F ench. The p esence o in e p e e s acili a ed communica ion be ween us
and he ood plan ade s.
2.3.3. E hnobo anical app oach used
The app oach chosen consis ed o isi ing he ables o he women in e iewed in o de o send hem a ques ionnai e.
The in o ma ion collec ed conce ned he socio-demog aphic s a us o he esponden , he e nacula name o all he
spon aneous plan s ound on hei able, he o gan consumed, he place o supply, he s a e o consump ion, he me hod
o ha es ing, he me hod o culina y use, he as e, he abundance and he pe iods o a ailabili y.
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2.4. Da a Analysis
2.4.1. Iden i ica ion o samples
Some plan samples we e collec ed and iden i ied wi h he help o local in o man s. O he samples collec ed ( ui s,
seeds, ube s, lowe ing o ui ing b anches), on he o he hand, we e iden i ied using he ollowing wo ks: Aké-Assi
(2001), Aké-Assi (2002). The classi ica ion o amilies ollows he ou h e sion o he Angiospe m Phylogeny G oup
(APG IV, 2016) and he scien i ic names ha e been upda ed using he APD da abase (A ican Plan s Da abase e sion
3.4.0).
2.4.2. Socio-demog aphic da a Analysis
The p opo ion o people in ol ed in he ma ke ing o edible plan s is gi en by he ollowing o mula :
P (%)= n
Nx 100
Whe e:
n is numbe o in o man s o one sex;
N is o al numbe o esponden s in e iewed du ing he su ey
2.4.3. In o man s le el o educa ion
The in o man s le el o educa ion is exp essed by he p opo ion o each le el. The p opo ion wi h which le el is ci ed
P (%) and calcula ed using ollowing o mula :
P (%)= n
Nx 100
Whe e:
n is he numbe o esponden s a le el;
N is he o al numbe o esponden s in e iewed du ing he su ey.
2.4.4. F equency o each pa consumed
The equency o each pa consumed (FPC) was calcula ed. This equency was used o iden i y he mos and leas used
pa s. The o mula used is as ollows:
FPC (%)= npc
Nx 100
Whe e :
npc is numbe o in o man s using he pa consumed
N is he o al numbe o in o man s who sold he species
2.4.5. Mode o Consump ion F equency o Wild Edible Plan s sold
F equency o consump ion mode o edible plan s sold (FC) ep esen s he equency o in o man s who ha e p e iously
consumed he plan . The FC was calcula ed as:
FC = ncm
N
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Whe e :
ncm is numbe o in o man s who ha e p e iously used he consump ion mode
N is he o al numbe o in o man s who sold he species
2.5. E hical conside a ions
Be o e he s udy, edible plan ade s o each su eyed ma ke we e in o med o he esea ch p ojec and p io consen
was equi ed in acco dance wi h he ecommenda ions o he E hnobiology In e na ional E hics Code o his esea ch.
Da a collec ion was ca ied ou wi h special ca e o he cul u al iews o he local communi ies o he s udy a ea.
3. Resul s
3.1. In o ma ion on in o man s
3.1.1. Gende o people in ol ed in selling edible plan s
Ou in es iga ions e ealed ha bo h men and women sell edible plan s. Howe e , wi h a p opo ion o 95%, women
accoun o he majo i y o hose selling edible plan species (Figu e 2). These women ma ke se e al pa s o he plan s
sough o consump ion. In con as , a 5%, men a e e y poo ly ep esen ed in he sale o edible plan s. These men sell
only yam ube s. Resul s om a - es showed a di e ence a he limi o s a is ical signi icance (p = 0.05) be ween men
and women in ol ed in selling edible plan s.
Figu e 2 B eakdown o ood plan ade s by gende
3.1.2. In o man s le el o educa ion
Ou esea ch shows ha some edible plan ade s a e illi e a e, while o he s a e well educa ed. Wi h a p opo ion o
58.12%, illi e a e women a e he mos nume ous. I should be no ed ha none o he emale ood plan ade s had
comple ed highe educa ion. Among men, 40% had a ended p ima y school. This p opo ion is highes among men,
ollowed by hose who a e illi e a e, wi h a p opo ion o 25% (Figu e 3).
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Figu e 3 Educa ional le el o ood plan ade s
3.2. Edible plan s sold in ma ke s in he own o Daloa
The e a e 41 ood plan s lis ed in ma ke s in he own o Daloa. They belong o 31 gene a and 23 amilies. The Solanaceae
amily, wi h se en species, is he mos ep esen ed in he a ious ma ke s. I is ollowed by he Mal aceae amily, wi h
ou species. Apa om hese amilies, which a e well ep esen ed in he ma ke s, o he amilies a e e y poo ly
ep esen ed. This is he case o B omeliaceae, Poaceae and A ecaceae, which each ha e one species sold in he ma ke s
(Table).
3.2.1. P opo ions o edible pa s o plan s sold
People in he own o Daloa look o se en pa s o plan s. These a e: bulbs, lea es, lowe s, ui , seeds, oo s and ube s.
Ou in es iga ions e ealed ha ui , wi h a p opo ion o 30.95%, is he mos commonly sold pa . These ui s a e
ollowed by lea es and seeds wi h a p opo ion o 23.81% o each pa . In con as , he bulb o Allium cepa L. (onion)
and he lowe o Hibiscus sabda i a L. (Bissap) wi h a p opo ion o 2.38% a e he pa s o plan s consumed leas sold
in he h ee ma ke s in he own o Daloa (Figu e 4).
Figu e 4 Di e en pa s o ood plan s sold in Daloa ma ke s
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3.2.2. Condi ion o he edible and sold pa s
The a ious pa s a e consumed bo h esh and d y. F om hese in es iga ions, i appea s ha he pa s consumed esh
a e he lea es o se e al plan s. This is he case o Co cho us oli o ius L. (Figu e 5 A) and Allium cepa L. (Figu e 5 B). A
pa om he lea es, he seeds o edible plan s a e ea en esh. Elaeis guineensis (Figu e 6 A) and A achis hypogaea L.
(Figu e 6 B) a e among he plan species whose seeds a e ea en esh and a e highly p ized. Unlike he pa s ha a e
ea en esh, o he pa s a e ea en a e d ying. This is he case wi h he lea es o Bombax cos a um L., Ceiba pen end a
L., e c.
A: F esh Co cho us oli o ius lea es; B: F esh Allium cepa lea es.
Figu e 5 Some lea es ea en esh
A: Elaeis guineensis seeds in a bowl; B: A achis hypogaea seeds in a bowl.
Figu e 6 Some ui and seeds ea en esh
3.2.3. Mode o consump ion o edible plan s sold in ma ke s in he own o Daloa
The di e en pa s o he plan s a e consumed in en ways. Wi h a p opo ion o 24.24%, sauce is he mos commonly
used me hod (Figu e 7). The pa s used o make sauces a e: lea es, ui and seeds. Snacks, wi h a p opo ion o 16.67%,
a e he second mos common use o edible plan pa s sold in he h ee ma ke s isi ed. Only one pa o he plan s, he
ui , is ea en di ec ly as a snack. These oods gene ally do no go h ough he i e. Some ui s, such as hose o Mangi e a
indica (Figu e 8 A), a e ea en di ec ly a e a simple washing wi h wa e . O he ui s such as Pe sea ame icana (Figu e
8 B) can be ea en in he same way. Howe e , hese ui s can be ea en wi h a li le seasoning (onion, sal and oil) wi h
b ead o yam po idge.
Many pa s o edible plan s unde go p ocessing be o e being ea en. This is he case o ube s and ce ain oo s. Among
hese ube s, he mos widely consumed a e hose o Diosco ea spp. (Figu e 9 A). These yam ube s can be boiled,
b aised, s eamed, ied o mashed. These many ways o ea ing Diosco ea spp (yam) make i an impo an ood sou ce
o he people o Daloa. In addi ion o he di e en a ie ies o yam ha a e consumed a e p ocessing, Manhio
esculen a C an z (Figu e 9 B) can be consumed in se e al ways. This species is widely consumed in Daloa in a ious
ways, including s eamed (A iéké, A oukpou and placali), boiled, b aised and mashed.
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Figu e 7 Mode o consump ion o di e en ood plan s
A: some ipe Mangi e a indica ui ; B: some Pe sea ame icana ui
Figu e 8 Some oods ea en as snacks
A: Some Diosco ea sp. ube s; B: Some Manioh esculen a oo s
Figu e 9 Some pa s o plan s consumed a e p ocessing
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4. Discussion
Ve y ew men a e in ol ed in he ma ke ing o edible plan s in he ma ke s isi ed. These esul s a e no limi ed o he
Daloa ma ke s. Indeed, in Came oon, acco ding o Be i e al, (2016), women wi h a p opo ion o 88.24%, ep esen
he majo i y o he ade s in e iewed in ol ed in he ma ke ing o edible plan s in he Yaoundé ma ke s. The low
p opo ion o men in he sale o edible plan s could be jus i ied by a ious easons. Acco ding o ou in o man s, men
g ow se e al edible plan s and women a e esponsible o ma ke ing hem. Simila esul s we e ob ained by N'd i e al.
(2008). Acco ding o hese au ho s, ac i i ies equi ing a g ea deal o physical e o a e ese ed o men, while hose
equi ing a ai amoun o ime, such as ading, a e ese ed o women. Fu he mo e, o o he in o man s, ading is
no a majo ac i i y o men in he Cen al (Baoulé) and Cen al Wes (Bé é).
In e ms o le el o educa ion, he majo i y o ade s ha e no been o school. This high p opo ion o people who ha e
no been o school in ol ed in plan ma ke ing could be jus i ied by he ac ha hese people ind ading a main income
ac i i y. This esul di e s om hose o Bédiakon e al. (2018). In ac , acco ding o wo k ca ied ou in he depa men
o Agbo ille, he seconda y le el is he mos ep esen ed wi h 45.5% o esponden s.
Ou in es iga ions e ealed ha se e al edible plan s such as Disco ea ala a, Elaeis guinensis, Capcicum usyescens, e c.
a e sold. This inding is no an isola ed one. Indeed, he wo k o Kouamé e al. (2015) men ions ha Diosco ea ala a
ube s, Elaeis guinensis seeds, Capcicum usyescens ui s, a e consumed in Daloa. Kouadio e al. (2017) also epo ed
he consump ion o Mangi e a indica and Pe sea ame ican ui s in Daloa. These plan s a e consumed because hey
con ain se e al chemical componen s ha a e use ul o human heal h. These chemical componen s include i amin C,
la onoids and alkaloids ound in he ui s o Capsicum u escens and Elaeis guinensis espec i ely (Kouamé, 2015).
Va ious pa s o he plan s ha a e consumed a e sold in he h ee ma ke s isi ed. Howe e , lowe s, bulbs and oo s
a e used less. In ano he s udy, lowe s, seeds and s ems a e used less and esin was a ely used. (Kaou a e al., 2022).
This s udy shows ha di e en pa s o an edible plan a e some imes used. Simila esul s we e ob ained by Sina and
Degu (2015). Acco ding o hese au ho s, ui s, shoo , lowe /nec a and ube s oo s and ba ks a e edible
The esea ch e ealed ha some plan s a e sough a e o hei lea es, which a e sold. This is he case o Co cho us
oli o ius and Allium cepa. The ma ke ing o he lea es o hese plan s is an ac i i y ha akes place in se e al ma ke s in
Cô e d'I oi e (A chib i e al., 2012). F om his wo k, we no e ha among he seeds ha a e sold, hose o A achis
hypogaea and Elaeis guinensis a e he mos abundan and mos sough -a e . S udies by Kouamé e al. (2015) and Ngoma
e al. (2017) ha e shown ha he seeds o hese plan s a e widely consumed and sold elsewhe e in he coun y's a ious
ma ke s.
Ten mode o consump ion we e eco ded, o which he majo i y (24.24%) we e consumed as Sauce. This a iabili y in
edible plan mode o consump ion e eals he cul u al di e si y and impo ance o edible plan s in people's li es. In
addi ion, Mahklou (2019) ob ained 12 mode o consump ion o edible plan s.
This esea ch e eals ha household die s a e gene ally no e y di e si ied. People ea mainly yam, a o and cassa a
oo s o long pe iods. These ube s a e supplemen ed by plan ain and ice o he es o he yea . Simila esul s we e
ob ained by MSLS e al. (2013). Acco ding o hese au ho s, he die o se e al amilies in Cô e d'I oi e is essen ially
based on ube s, oo s and ce eals, which con ibu e mo e han 65% o daily ene gy in ake. Yam ube s a e one o he
mos widely consumed and sold oods in he ma ke s isi ed. This esul could be jus i ied by he nu i ional po en ial
o hese ube s, which mee consume s' needs.
Acco ding o N'Go an e al. (2024), yam ube s con ain o al ca bohyd a es (87.89±2.24%) composed mainly o s a ch
(78.44 ± 2.06%), p o eins (4.95 ± 0.93%) and lipids (1.22 ± 0.85%). In addi ion o yam, cassa a is also highly sough
a e . Se e al ood p oduc s ( aw lou , ga i, e c.) a e de i ed om he cassa a oo . Simila esul s we e ob ained by
Diallo e al. (2013). Acco ding o hese au ho s, in A ica, he p oduc s de i ed om p ocessing a e a ied and di e
depending on he a ea: cosse es, aw lou , ga i, apioca, e c. In addi ion, hese oo s a e used o make h ee dishes,
a iéké, a oukpou and placali, which a e highly p ized in Cô e d'I oi e. Acco ding o Yéboué e al. (2017), he p e e ence
o hese oods is due o he ac ha hey con ain high le els o ca bohyd a es (96.10 ± 0.22, 95.68 ± 0.19 and 95.90 ±
0.28 espec i ely). In addi ion, hese h ee oods con ain magnesium (Mg) (4.38±0.14; 5.14±0.11; 5.08±1.21;
espec i ely), i on (Fe) (0.21±0.08; 0.26±0.07; 0.21±0.03; espec i ely) and se e al o he mine als such as sodium (Na),
po assium (K), calcium (Ca) and phospho us (P).
This wo k shows ha some pa s o plan s a e ea en esh. In con as , o he edible pa s a e d ied be o e being used.
This p ac ice is no exclusi e o he h ee ma ke s and o he peoples o he Cen al-Wes . Indeed, Kouakou (2019 b)
