Market conduct and performance of wild and semi-wild food plants traded in Bunyoro-Kitara Kingdom, Uganda

Abstract

This paper analyses the market structure of wild and semi-wild food plants (WSWFPs) traded in Bunyoro- Kitara Kingdom, Uganda. Data was collected using a Rapid Market Survey (RMS) conducted in 17 local markets and analysed using MINITAB statistical package. Twenty nine WSWFPs belonging to 12 botanical families were encountered being traded during RMS. In terms of botanical family, members of Amaranthaceace, Solanaceae and Malvaceae were the most represented in the markets. Trade in WSWFPs was largely undeveloped with few traders mainly women selling these plants food resources in trading centres and rural markets, homesteads and roadsides. Others were hawkers moving from place to another in search of customers. Most WSWFPs were sold in combination with conventional farmed products such as tomatoes and cabbages. Almost all traders sold WSWFPs in their generic forms without value addition. Those who attempted to add value were engaged mainly in preliminary activities such as washing the products and grading into quality batches. Market chains of the traded WSWFPs were very short, simple and dominated by traders who double as gatherers, and selling directly to customers. There is a need for concerted effort to improve on the market structure of these food resources in order to realise their full market potential. Efforts geared towards organising gatherers and traders to form viable supply and marketing groups could be started with. Other interventions aimed at building capacity on processing and or value addition prior to sale could then follow later. © 2013 Copyright by the Authors, licensee Open Access Science Research Publisher.