Men and women's knowledge about medicinal and food species in home gardens in Nicoya, Costa Rica.
Ochea L., Fassaert C., Somarriba E., Schlönvoight A.
Author Affiliation: Economia y Sociologia Ambiental, CATIE, Turrialba, Costa Rica.
Agroforestería en las Américas 5 : 7-11
Abstract : An evaluation was made of the comparative knowledge of men and women with respect to the parts used, forms of preparation, and forms of application of 13 plant species with food and medicinal uses found in 23 Costa Rican home gardens. The species were Lippia graveolens (oregano), Mentha piperita, Aloe vera [A. barbadensis], Lippia alba, Eryngium foetidum, Cocos nucifera, Citrus spp., Mangifera indica (mangoes), Salvia officinalis (sage), Musa spp., Persea americana, Ananas comosus (pineapples) and Manihot esculenta (cassava). With respect to medicinal species, men and women had equal knowledge of the parts used, while women had greater knowledge of the forms of preparation and application. Women also had a greater knowledge of medicinal species than men. There was no difference in the knowledge of man and women about food crops, except for the Musa spp. (bananas and plantains) where women had the greater knowledge.