Agriculture

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Diversity and uses by farmers of cashew (Anacardium occidentale L.) orchards weeds in Côte d’Ivoire
(Ethnobotany Research & Applications, 2021-04-16) Latif Mory, Konaté; Doudjo Noufou, Ouattara; François N’Guessan, Kouamé
Weeds are always seen as pests and are continuously destroyed by farmers due to their impacts on crop production. But like many other plants, some have several virtues. This work aims to determine the uses of weed plants by cashew farmers in three 4 regions of Côte d'Ivoire. Methods: In each region, an ethnobotanical survey using semi-direct interviews with 108 cashew producers let to identify the weeds of cashew orchards used by farmers and to highlight their uses. Results: In total, 73 weeds were cited by farmers as useful for various uses, thus justifying their maintenance in their orchards. Five categories of uses of these weeds have been recorded, of which food weeds represent 42.39%. Weeds used in traditional medicine represent 34.78% while those used as fodder and in handicrafts represent 8.69% each; 5.34% of these weeds are used in other areas. The most used organs are fruits and leaves with a rate of 39% each. Conclusion: These uses of weeds should induce a new consideration of these plants by farmers who could implement the cashew orchards in Côte d’Ivoire as an agroforestry systems.