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European Journal of Applied Sciences – Vol. 9, No. 6

Publication Date: December 25, 2021

DOI:10.14738/aivp.96.11216. Mawunu, M., Fernando, A. D. A. C., Panzo, A. Z., Mawunu, N. F. E., Narciso, H. A., Lautenschlanger, T., Koto-te-Nyiwa, N., Ndiku, L.,

& Luyeye, L. (2021). Socio-economic Contributions of the Retail Sale of Mfumbwa (Gnetum africanum Welw.) Among Traders in the

Uíge city, Angola. European Journal of Applied Sciences, 9(6). 564-575.

Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom

Socio-economic Contributions of the Retail Sale of Mfumbwa

(Gnetum africanum Welw.) Among Traders in the Uíge city,

Angola

Monizi Mawunu

Instituto Politécnico da Universidade Kimpa Vita, CP. 77, Uíge, Angola;

Agnaldo de Assunção Cardoso Fernando

Instituto Politécnico da Universidade Kimpa Vita, CP. 77, Uíge, Angola;

Abreu Zuanga Panzo

Instituto Politécnico da Universidade Kimpa Vita, CP. 77, Uíge, Angola;

Nsimba Fineza Eduardo Mawunu

Instituto Politécnico da Universidade Kimpa Vita, CP. 77, Uíge, Angola;

Hermenegildo Augusto Narciso

Instituto Politécnico da Universidade Kimpa Vita, CP. 77, Uíge, Angola;

Thea Lautenschläger

Institute of Botany, Faculty of Science

Technische Universität Dresden, 01062 Dresden, Germany

Ngbolua Koto-te-Nyiwa

Faculté des Sciences de l’Université de Kinshasa

BP. 190 Kinshasa XI. République Démocratique du Congo

Luyindula Ndiku

Division des Sciences de la vie

Centre Régional d’Etudes Nucléaires de Kinshasa

B.P. 868, Kinshasa XI, République Démocratique du Congo.

Lukoki Luyeye

Faculté des Sciences de l’Université de Kinshasa

BP. 190 Kinshasa XI. République Démocratique du Congo

ABSTRACT

The trade of non-wood forest products in the town of Uíge, including the Mfumbwa

(Gnetum africanum Welw.), is an important activity for the family economy and

helps to meet the daily needs of households. The aim of this research was to find out

the socio-economic contributions of the retail sale of Mfumbwa among households

in the town of Uíge. The socio-economic surveys were based on a semi-structured

questionnaire and submitted orally to the informants. The study was based on

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Mawunu, M., Fernando, A. D. A. C., Panzo, A. Z., Mawunu, N. F. E., Narciso, H. A., Lautenschlanger, T., Koto-te-Nyiwa, N., Ndiku, L., & Luyeye, L.

(2021). Socio-economic Contributions of the Retail Sale of Mfumbwa (Gnetum africanum Welw.) Among Traders in the Uíge city, Angola. European

Journal of Applied Sciences, 9(6). 564-575.

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/aivp.96.11216

purposive sampling and took place between March and September of 2021 in the

city of Uíge, northern Angola. A total of 56 informants were interviewed, all (100%)

women. Mfumbwa retailing is a women's business because the traders interviewed

are exclusively (100%) women. The majority (38%) of retailers in Mfumbwa are

between 18 and 30 years old. Trade is the main source (97%) of employment and

income for the respondents. Mfumbwa retailers in the city of Uíge have an average

of 15 years of experience in trading this product. The majority (63%) of retail

traders in Mfumbwa have more than 30 years of experience in this activity. The

average profit generated by the retail sale of Mfumbwa in the city of Uíge is 85.61

US$ per month/ retailer. The income from the retail sale of Mfumbwa is destined

mainly to the strengthening of the household basket (25%), to the schooling of

children (21%) and to the health of the household (18%). The retail sale of

Mfumbwa in the city of Uíge improves the socio-economic conditions of the trading

households, helps to combat unemployment and to supplement the family budget

thanks to the income generated by this trade. Finally, to avoid the extinction of this

species, it is imperative to develop sustainable conservation strategies.

Keywords: socio-economic contributions, retail sale of mfumbwa (Gnetum africanum),

Uíge City Angola.

INTRODUCTION

Gnetum is a genus of Gymnosperms [1]. With about 50 species of lianas and trees distributed in

tropical regions of the world [2]. Morphologically, there are two species of Gnetum in Africa: G.

africanum and G. buchholzianum [3]. Biye et al. [4] identified two new species, bringing the total

to four species of Gnetum in Africa.

Gnetum africanum is an evergreen plant found mainly in tropical rainforests. Gnetum is a liana

up to 10 m long but sometimes longer [5]. In Africa, it is distributed in the tropical rainforest

zone that extends from southern Nigeria through Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Central African

Republic (CAR), Congo, Gabon and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to Angola [6].

The species Gnetum africanum is one of the slow-growing leafy vegetables highly prized for its

edible leaves. The leaves have cultural and socio-economic values and are traded locally and

internationally. They are rich in mineral elements, essential amino acids and can be an

important source of protein for local populations [7]. 1 kilogram of Gnetum leaves contains 216

g of carbohydrates, 60 g of protein, 13 g of lipids, 130 mg of calcium and nearly 6g of iron [8].

Both African Gnetum species (G. africanum and G. buchholzianum) are used as a vegetable, eaten

raw or cooked in soups and salads [5], but they also have very useful medicinal properties, such

as, diabetes, nausea, constipation, hemorroids. hypertension [5, 9]. Gnetum is still collected

from wild species. But trial cultivations have begun in Cameroon, Nigeria, and Benin Republic.

The main problem is that the plant in its natural habitat seems to prefer shaded forest canopies.

In experiments in Cameroon, propagation by seed was difficult because the seed is show to

sprout, with germination taking 1 year or more. Perhaps the seeds need pretreatment, such as

passing through the intestines of a bird, fruit bat, squirrel, or other animal, before they

germinate. Seeds are normally found only in the tree canopy. Seed collection is thus far from

easy, a further reason why Gnetum africanum is hardly cultivated. Experimental cultivation

using leafy stem cuttings have produced encouraging results [5]. Additionally, African Gnetum

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European Journal of Applied Sciences (EJAS) Vol. 9, Issue 6, December-2021

Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom

species have a long marketing chain [10]. G. africanum serves as a source of income generation

for the economy of countries and regions through trade; it provides employment to people,

provides a stable source of income to stakeholders, and improves the household welfare of

participating agents [11]. In general, Eru-business helps many poor households to meet their

basic needs [12]. Thus, it is necessary to mention that G. africanum trade is very lucrative among

the people involved in it, as they earn reasonable incomes from it [11]. Women make a major

contribution to the trade in most African countries and are heavily involved in the G. africanum

trade as petty traders [13]. According to Ingram and Schure [14], the G. africanum trade also

contributes to the diversification of the income of the actors involved in the G. africanum value

chains. This very significant trade is estimated at US$13.8 million per year in southwest

Cameroon and US$1.2 million per year in Kinshasa (DRC). Finally, in Angola Mawunu et al. [15,

16] showed that Mfumbwa (G. africanum) is among the wild food plants traded in Uíge province.

In northern Angola, the trade of cultivated plants and wild food products is mainly women’s

occupation. This trade generates employment and income for urban and rural households. The

income from this age-old activity contributes to food security, schooling, household health, etc.

[15-19].

However, despite the great interest in this plant among some consumers and traders in Uíge

province, very little data is available on its socio-economic contribution [15, 16]. For this

reason, this study specifically focuses on the socio-economic contribution of Mfumbwa retailing

in Uíge city, northern Angola.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Description of study area and selection of respondents

The municipality of Uíge located in the south of the province of Uíge, covers an area of

2 500 km2 and has a population of 493,529 inhabitants [20]. The capital of the municipality is

also the capital of the province of the same name, Uíge. Uíge has a tropical savannah climate

with a dry season (Sivu or Mbangala in Kikongo) [18, 19] that runs from May to September and

a rainy season that runs from September to January (Masanza in Kikongo), then from February

or March to May (Kitombo in Kikongo) with an annual rainfall of 900 to 1500 mm; the average

annual temperature in the capital of Uíge is 23°C [18-22]. The province of Uíge enjoys excellent

edapho-climatic conditions (large arable land and regular rainfall) and also has a dense

hydrographic network that irrigates the region [17]. The economy of the province of Uíge is

based mainly on subsistence agriculture. Other’s source of economy are the livestock, hunting,

small-scale trade and traditional fishing [15-17].

Data for this study were collected between March and September 2021. The choice of the study

area was made after a pre-survey that confirmed the existence of retail sellers of Mfumbwa in

the markets of the city of Uíge. Visits were made to 5 markets in the Uíge city. Respondents

were selected based on their availability and their socio-economic activity, retailing Mfumbwa.

The method adopted for data collection was the socio-economic survey applied by Monizi et

al.[17], Monizi et al. [18], Monizi et al. [19] and Mawunu et al. [15]. It consisted first of all in

drafting a questionnaire to better understand the retail trade of Mfumbwa in the study area.

Also, data collection was done through direct observation in the markets and through

individual interviews with Mfumbwa retail vendors. The exchange rate used is equivalent to 1

US$ = 620.69 AOA [23].