Wild edible mushrooms, a valuable resource for food security and rural development in Burundi and Rwanda

• Published in: Biotechnologie, agronomie, société et environnement Vol. 20; no. 4; p. 441
• Main Authors: Degreef, Jérôme, Demuynck, Laurent, Mukandera, Assumpta, Nyirandayambaje, Gudula, Nzigidahera, BenoÎt, De Kesel, André
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Gembloux Les Presses Agronomiques de Gembloux 01.01.2016; Université de Liège; Presses Agronomiques de Gembloux
• Subjects: Afrique tropicale; Botanical gardens; champignon; Cultivation; Ecosystem protection; Food resources; Food security; Food supply; Forest products; fungi; human nutrition; Introduced plants; Local population; Mountain forests; Mushrooms; Non-wood forest products; Nutrition; nutrition humaine; Produits forestiers non ligneux; Resource exploitation; Rural development; stockage; storage; tropical Africa; Woodlands; Burundi; Rwanda
• ISSN: 1370-6233; 1780-4507
• DOI: 10.25518/1780-4507.13181

This study is the first to compile the diversity of wild edible mushrooms gathered in the different ecosystems (savanna, woodland, montane forest, and exotic tree plantations) of Burundi and Rwanda and to consider this resource in a developmental framework for the region. The aim of this study is to update the inventory of wild edible mushrooms in Burundi and Rwanda focusing on their sustainable exploitation and their potential for cultivation. The inventory is based on a literature survey completed with referenced specimens gathered during field trips between 2010 and 2015 that are deposited at the Botanic Garden Meise (BR). Seventy-seven species of edible mushrooms have been listed together with their habitat and ecology. This includes 39 new records of species eaten in the region, 8 of which were not previously known to be edible. An attempt to combine the protection of natural ecosystems with the development of local populations is presented in relation to the availability of these mushrooms, their ecology and cultivation potential. Wild edible mushrooms constitute an interesting and under-exploited resource in Burundi and Rwanda. Sustainable gathering of ectomycorrhizal species in miombo woodlands and cultivation of saprotrophic species from montane forests suggest important food issues and interesting business perspectives.