Abstract:

The  objective  of  the  study  was  to assessexisting  practices  of  acquiring  and  sharing  indigenous knowledge (IK) related to wild mushroom species among local communitiesand examine how local communities harvested, processed, preserved and marketed wild mushroom species using existing IK related  to  such  activities.  The  study  also  sought  to  validate  the  Socialization,  Externalization, Combination  and Internalization  (SECI)model  to  find  out  its  suitability  for  managing  indigenous knowledge  on  mushroom.  The  research  employed  a  mixed  research  design,  using  cross-sectional design  and  a  case  study  design.  The  study  found  out  that  primary  sources  of  mushroom  IK  are predominantlytacit and local and personal experience. This study found that most of the respondents indicated that personal experience, parents, guardians and family are their key sources of informationfor edible and non-edible wild mushroom. The study further found that the IK used to distinguish edible  and  poisonous  wild  mushroom  are  experience  gained  from  elders  followed  by  color  and appearance,  being  eaten  by  wild  animals/insects,  place  of  growth  and  smell.The major means of acquiring knowledge related to use of wild mushroom is accompanying relatives during harvesting seasons and through training by elders and direct observations.