Universität zu Köln

Kigenyi, Joel (2016). Coping with resource extinction: the case of medicinal plants in Kawete village, Iganga district, Uganda. Masters thesis, Universität zu Köln.

Preview

PDF Kigeny_Final_Document.pdf - Published Version Download (4MB)

Abstract

In the past two decades in Uganda, there has been an upsurge in the use of herbal medicine in both rural and urban communities. As a consequence, many medicinal plants have been over-harvested, resulting in the increased risk of extinction of specific medicinal plants, yet herbalists report that some medicinal plants have become extinct. In spite of the medicinal plant resource being constrained, herbalists have continued to dispense herbal medicine to meet people’s healthcare needs. This study, conducted in Kawete village, explores how herbalists are coping with the extinction of medicinal plants to sustain the use of herbal medicine. Anthropological methods such as participant observation, interviews, focus group discussions, free listing and review of documents were used to collect data. The herbalists in Kawete village demonstrate profound knowledge about the concept of extinction in relation to medicinal plants. They perceive the extinction of medicinal plants at two levels, the physical level and the intellectual property level, and they identify a range of indicators of the extinction of medicinal plants. The causes of the extinction of medicinal plants emerge from both the community and the herbalists themselves. However, herbalists have adopted several coping strategies, including the cultivation of medicinal plants and creation of collaborative networks to address the challenge of medicinal plants becoming extinct. At the same time, various stakeholders support the herbalists in Kawete village in various ways to address the challenge of the extinction of plants of medicinal value.

Item Type:	Thesis (Masters thesis)
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID ORCID Put Code Kigenyi, Joel UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED
Corporate Contributors:	Cologne African Studies Centre
URN:	urn:nbn:de:hbz:38-79703
Series Name at the University of Cologne:	Culture and Environment in Africa Series
Volume:	9
Date:	2016
ISSN:	2194-1556
Language:	English
Faculty:	Faculty of Arts and Humanities
Divisions:	Faculty of Arts and Humanities > Fächergruppe 4: Außereuropäische Sprachen, Kulturen und Gesellschaften > Institut für Ethnologie
Subjects:	Customs, etiquette, folklore
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Keywords Language Uganda, Medicinal Plants, Plant Resources, Resource Scarcity, MA thesis English Uganda, Heilpflanzen, pflanzliche Ressourcen, Ressourcenmangel, Masterarbeit German
Date of oral exam:	2016
Referee:	Name Academic Title Bollig, Michael Prof. Dr.
Refereed:	Yes
URI:	http://kups.ub.uni-koeln.de/id/eprint/7970