The Usefulness of Indigenous Plants and Vegetables in contemporary Society.

Abstract

Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) is tacit knowledge available to local
people of any community which can be used in all sectors of life and
development. This knowledge is passed from generation to generation
through oral tradition, song, and dance. The invasion of traditional societies
through colonization, modernization, and globalization has threatened the
resilience of IKS and some literature argues that it is being driven into
extinction. This paper argues that Indigenous knowledge Systems are
undeniably resistant and resilient as evidenced by the continuous inevitable
use of indigenous plant varieties in Africa and the rest of the world during
outbreaks of pandemics like COVID-19 and even use in the day-to-day
treatment of humans and domestic animals. Using individual telephone
interviews, a teleconference focus group with rural and urban key
informants from Chirumanzu District, Gokwe District, and Harare North lowdensity residential area, the paper discovered twenty-four (24) indigenous
plant varieties, 5 non-indigenous plants, and 5 indigenous vegetables which
people are using to improve health systems and strengthens the lungs
during the COVID-19 pandemic. The same plant varieties have been used
in everyday life even before the outbreak of the current pandemic, indicating
their undeniable usefulness in the lives of people. The paper, therefore,
recommends that more research should be done and literature should be
written on the role of these different plant varieties so that the knowledge is
kept safe and readily available for future generations. Documentation is very
critical as a migratory measure against the extinction of the crucial role of
indigenous knowledge systems