Abstract:

Traditional Ethno-ecological Knowledge (TEK) deals with interactions between human population and nature. The current study captures seasonal (January to March) preference of edible plants (both wild and domesticated) in a primitive tribal group, ‘Paudi Bhuyan’ in district Angul in Northern Odisha. This exploratory study in eleven villages assessed level of similarity and difference regarding dependence of this tribe on plant based food options against factors such as demography (including gender), literacy, accessibility, and distance from motorable roads. Results reveal that various permutations and combination of these factors have impacted the knowledge of food plants differently in the study villages. Knowledge was lower in homogenous villages, and was inversely proportional to percentage of youth present in the villages.