The Essence of African Vegeculture: Ethnobotanical Comparison of Banana and Ensete

Abstract

The goal of this paper is to examine the characteristics of African vegeculture centered on banana (Musa sp.) and ensete (Ensete ventricosum) agriculture in the broader perspectives of ethnobotany as person-plant relationships. In the first part of this paper, I attempt a selected review of the theories of origin, variation, and dispersal of banana varieties in Africa. I also discuss the origin and diversity of landrace in relation to the changes of agricultural systems in Africa brought about by the introduction of the banana from Asia. Secondly, I make an ethnobotanical comparison of banana and ensete in order to propose future agendas for the development of research on these two crops in Africa. Lastly, I discuss the essence of African vegeculture in terms of three characteristics: diversity, perenniality, and mass-of-harvest. In African vegeculture system exploiting banana and ensete, both plants are “perennial” monocots, local farmers maintain high level of “diversity” in landrace variation, and both crops give a great “mass of harvest” at once from one plant. I contend that these three common characteristics of African vegeculture may be closely related to, and form the basis of, the worldview of African farmers.