Gender differences in knowledge, use, and collection of wild edible plants in three spanish areas

Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

Authors

  • Rufino Acosta-Naranjo
  • Ramón Rodríguez-Franco
  • Antonio Jesús Guzmán-Troncoso
  • Manuel Pardo-De-santayana
  • Laura Aceituno-Mata
  • José Gómez-Melara
  • Pablo Domínguez-Gregorio
  • Isabel Díaz-Reviriego
  • Jessica González-Nateras
  • Victoria Reyes-García

Many ethnobotanical studies have shown differences in the knowledge and practices held by men and women. Using ethnographic fieldwork, a survey, and secondary data from three different areas in Spain, this study shows a geographical pattern in women’s and men’s relations with wild edible plants. In the case studies from Southern Spain, Doñana, and Sierra Morena Extremeña, women gather less wild edible plants than men, while in the Central Spain case study, Sierra Norte de Madrid, the difference is less marked. We explain this difference through the construction and distribution of agrarian spaces, particularly with regards to land tenure type and urban centers size. In the southern cases, large agrarian properties are more prevalent than in Sierra Norte de Madrid, where common lands and small and medium properties predominate. Additionally, in Doñana, big urban agro-towns dominate, whereas in Sierra Norte de Madrid and Sierra Morena Extremeña little towns are the norm. Overall, our study suggests that gendered differences in the use of natural resources are better understood if contextualized in a large socioecological context.

Original languageEnglish
Article number2639
JournalSustainability
Volume13
Issue number5
Pages (from-to)1-16
Number of pages16
ISSN2071-1050
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 01.03.2021

Bibliographical note

Research was funded by the Programa de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades del Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (España) (CSO2011-27565), with supporting funding from Diputación de Badajoz and Ayuntamiento de Puebla del Maestre.

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