Traditional utilization of weeds and ethnic ecological wisdom in Longsheng terraces-a study based on globally important agricultural heritage systems.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Weeds, which have long seen as nutrient competitors for crops, have made chemical weeding mainstream in agriculture. However, in Guangxi's Longsheng Terraces, a global agricultural heritage site, the Zhuang, Yao and Dong peoples value them as medicine, food, feed and even tools. This undocumented traditional knowledge, under chemical agriculture and tourism pressures, is on the verge of extinction.

Methods

This study integrates research methods from ethnobotany and weed science and conducts a survey on weed species across 11 types of farmlands, including paddy fields and corn fields in the Longsheng Terraces. It focuses on traditional knowledge of weed utilization among the Zhuang, Yao, and Dong ethnic groups. A total of 36 key informants were recruited using snow

SUBMITTER: Ma W 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12642339 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature