WILD EDIBLE PLANTS IN ENHANCING POST-DISASTER FOOD SECURITY, ORMOC CITY, PHILIPPINES

Article Highlights:
- Wild edible plants (WEPs) in Ormoc City, Philippines, serve as critical food sources during disasters, offering essential nutrients and aiding food security.
- Melastoma malabathricum is rich in calcium, magnesium, and manganese, while Diplazium esculentum provides high levels of iron, copper, and zinc.
- Wild fruits like Melastoma malabathricum, Annona montana, and Rubus fraxinifolius contribute significant Vitamin C to the local diet.
- These plants not only provide sustenance but also offer medicinal benefits, emphasizing the need for further research, conservation, and sustainable use.

ABSTRACT
Wild Edible Plants (WEPs) are a valuable resource for communities facing food insecurity, and their nutritional profiles can provide essential dietary needs, especially in disaster-prone regions like the Philippines. This paper explores the nutritional value of wild edible plants (WEPs) in Ormoc City, Leyte, Philippines, with a particular focus on their role in addressing food security issues during natural disasters. The research included surveying the WEPs used by the local community in Ormoc City and analyzing these plants' nutrient and mineral composition. The study's key findings included identifying 15 plant species from 13 families. Melastoma malabathricum  showed the highest Ca, Mg and Mn content; while Diplazium esculentum leaves had the highest iron, copper and  zinc content.   Furthermore, relatively high vitamin C content was found in wild fruits M. malabathricum, Annona montana, and Rubus fraxinifolius. The plants analyzed were rich in essential nutrients, including minerals (Ca, Na, Mg, Mn, Fe, Cu and Zn), crude fiber and vitamin C.  The different plants excelled in different nutritional aspects, suggesting a diverse dietary potential.  These plants play a crucial role in the local community, providing not only sustenance but also medicinal applications. Further research and conservation efforts should be encouraged to harness the nutritional and economic potential of these plants while ensuring their sustainable utilization and preservation.

INTRODUCTION

Wild Edible Plants (WEPs) encompass non-cultivated plant species growing spontaneously in nature in their natural or semi-natural habitats, which are harvested from the wild and utilized as sources of sustenance(Demir et al., 2020);(Duguma, 2020);(Mahklouf, 2019). WEPs, which are a rich source of micronutrients(, 2023)play a vital role as alternative food resources for families facing food insecurity in many developing and underdeveloped nations grappling with issues, such as poverty, famine, and drought(Anbessa et al., 2024);(Mishra et al., 2021);(Guzo et al., 2023);(Ojelel et al., 2019). Many WEPs have nutritional profiles akin to those of cultivated crops like some of the common vegetables(, 2023);(Waheed et al., 2023), rendering them valuable in augmenting the essential dietary needs of rural communities ((Nyakoojo & Tugume, 2020);(Ojelel et al., 2019)).

The Philippines is a region frequently subjected to a range of natural disasters, and exposed to natural hazards(Asio, 2020);(Ipong et al., 2020);(Yoshioka et al., 2021);(Radtke et al., 2018). One example of this vulnerability occurred in 2013 when Typhoon Haiyan, one of the most powerful tropical cyclones ever recorded, severely impacted Ormoc City. Subsequently, in 2017, a 6.5-magnitude earthquake struck the city(Ipong et al., 2020). Following the disaster, affected communities relied heavily on external aid. However, due to the extensive damage, especially in remote areas, relief operations were delayed. As assessed by(Stumpf et al., 2014), food supply emerged as one of the critical challenges in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan. The nutritional evaluation of WEPs can establish options to achieve food and nutritional security(, 2023), in response to Sustainable Development goal of zero hunger.

In the Philippines, a number of studies documenting wild edible plants in the country, and knowledge regarding their nutritional value has been conducted ((Buenavista et al., 2022);(Cacatian & Tabian, 2023);(Tasani & Barcellano, 2024)). This study was premised on several assumptions: 1) less attention is given to WEPs as a potential alternative to enhance food security for the community; 2) WEPs contain essential nutrients and minerals that can address nutritional requirements of the community during a disaster, hence the need to analyze their nutritional content, and 3) there is a need to incorporate information about WEPs into policies enhancing food security of a community during a disaster.

Consequently, this study (a) surveyed the WEPs already utilized by the local community, (b) assessed the nutrient and mineral composition of WEPs found in Ormoc City to ascertain their contribution to food security, and (c) identified potential implications for the utilization of WEPs during times of disaster.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Study Area

Ormoc City has a total land area of 46,430 ha and is subdivided into 110 barangays (the smallest administrative division in the Philippines). Half of the lands is in mountainous and hilly areas, with agriculture, comprising 26,298 ha (56.64%), being the main use. The city has 15,034 ha (32.38%) of forest lands and 2,672 ha (5.75%) of commercial areas(Dumalan, 2023). Ormoc City is located at 11°00'26.59" N, 124°36'28.46" E in an enclave fronting the Ormoc Bay. The ambient temperature of Ormoc City is 25.9 °C, relative humidity of 70.2%, wind speed 0.55 m/s at 104°, east (BP Integrated Technologies, Inc. 2019) and an average rainfall of 2,456 mm. Given its geographical location, Ormoc in general, is highly susceptible to natural hazards and extreme weather events.

Ormoc City’s land encompasses a wide variety of plants, including wild edible plants that can serve as alternative food sources in the event of a calamity. Wild edible plants were collected from Barangays Bagong, Cabintan, Gaas, and Lake Danao, in Ormoc City, Leyte, Philippines (Figure 1) in March 2019.

Figure 1.Context map of the study sites in Ormoc City, Leyte

Data Collection

Permission to conduct the study was sought from the local government unit through the City Agriculture Office (CAO).

Qualitative Ethnobotanical Survey

A qualitative ethnobotanical survey was conducted in March 2019 through key informant (KI) interviews. The methods used in similar studies ((Cacatian & Tabian, 2023);(Rahim et al., 2019);(Nyakoojo & Tugume, 2020)) were employed. The barangays selected were based on anecdotal information(Nyakoojo & Tugume, 2020);(Nyakoojo & Tugume, 2020)provided by some of the personnel of the City Agriculture Office. The City Agriculture Office of Ormoc purposively provided one key informant each for Barangays Bagong, Cabintan, Gaas, and Lake Danao based on their wide knowledge of the plant diversity in the study areas, and they provided folk knowledge of plants. Guided field excursions and field works were used to collect plant samples(Cacatian & Tabian, 2023)as well as additional data on the identity of the plants. The research team was joined in the field by the key informants who also served as local guides and were asked to mention wild edible plants that came into their minds; information on the wild edible plants and their mode of collection and preparation prior to consumption were recorded. The recorded data included: 1) vernacular names of the plant; 2) habit; 3) edible parts; 4) mode of harvest/preparation/consumption; 5) availability of the plants; 6) conservation status; and 7) additional information about the plants.

Plant Collection and Identification

Approximately 600 g each of the plant samples

.....