Eleven years of the war in Syria have caused substantial socioeconomic and cultural changes, and have led to widespread food insecurity across the country. Our recently published study in the journal Economic Botany (IF: 2.6, Q2 in Plant Sciences) seeks to scrutinize the impact of socioeconomic factors on the use of wild food plants during the conflict. The study revealed that the number of used species had a significant statistical relationship with informant age and annual household income, while informant gender was a predictor for both reliance on wild plants and frequency of use.

The project aims to support education and research at Arba Minch University (AMU) through practical teaching and joint supervision of master's theses. This is achieved by the cooperation of academic staff from two Czech universities (MENDELU and CZU) and by the involvement of local Ethiopian teachers and experts. 

The tropical forests of Central Africa represent an immense diversity of valuable plant species that local people have long exploited for their needs. Despite their economic importance, these species often remain marginal and neglected by mainstream development or agricultural policies. The actual paper published in Economic Botany investigates management practices, plant part preferences, morphological characteristics, and the economy of bitter kola in different regions of the country.