Wild Vegetables and Daily Subsistence of the Chakma Ethnic Community in Khagrachari, Bangladesh

Shahida Taher; Najmun Naher; Mritunjoy Mojumder

doi:10.22161/ijhaf.9.4.5

Indexing and Abstracting

Wild Vegetables and Daily Subsistence of the Chakma Ethnic Community in Khagrachari, Bangladesh

Shahida Taher , Najmun Naher , Mritunjoy Mojumder

International Journal of Horticulture, Agriculture and Food science(IJHAF), Vol-9,Issue-4, October - December 2025, Pages 32-41, 10.22161/ijhaf.9.4.5

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Article Info: Received: 19 Nov 2025; Received in revised form: 16 Dec 2025; Accepted: 21 Dec 2025; Available online: 30 Dec 2025

Abstract:

The Chakma ethnic community is one of the prominent communities in Khagrachari district of Bngladesh. A survey was conducted to document the use of wild vegetables were used by the Chakma community in their daily dietary system. Secondary data were collected from published research articles and books. Ethnobotanical data were collected through semi-structured interviews and field observation conducted among Chakma households. Plants specimens were collected, identified using standard floras. A total of 31 non-cultivated vegetable species, belonging to 26 genera and 18 families were recorded. The most represented families including Araceae, Musaceae, Dioscoreaceae, and Zingiberaceae. Various plant parts such as leaves, young shoots, fruits, flowers were consumed, primarily prepared as boiled vegetables, curries or misxed dishes. Several species were also reported to have medicinal and nutritional importance, highlighting their multifunctional role in daily life. The vegetables include leaves, stems, flowers, tubers, fruits, shoots, and roots, providing vitamins A, B, and C, protein, carbohydrates, calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus, making them an affordable nutritional source. The findings underscore the importance of conserving indigenous knowledge and wild edible plant diversity to support sustainable food systems and biodiversity conservation in Bangladesh.

Keywords:

Chakma community, Wild vegetables, Traditional knowledge, aliments, Bangladesh

References:

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Wild Vegetables and Daily Subsistence of the Chakma Ethnic Community in Khagrachari, Bangladesh

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