title: Local knowledge about fodder plants in the semi-arid region of Northeastern Brazil.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study evaluated local knowledge of the fodder plants of the Caatinga in northeast Brazil (seasonal dry forest). Specifically, the goal was to catalog local knowledge regarding the use of native and exotic forage plants in two rural communities located in the state of Paraíba (northeast Brazil), to provide information for nutritional investigations and to verify how the knowledge of these resources is distributed.
  
  
  METHODS
  The communities were followed for three consecutive years, and interviews were conducted with 44 families (20 men and 24 women). Nine of these individuals were determined by the snowball technique to be key informants who held more specific knowledge about the topic. The data were structured into a database and statistically analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall, 136 plants from 37 families and 113 genera were cited, and the knowledge of men was at a higher level than that of women (p < 0.05). Participants demonstrated a sophisticated knowledge of nutritional characteristics such as nutritional value, palatability, availability and productivity. Native plants were highlighted over the exotic, especially for species of the families Cactaceae, Bromeliaceae and Fabaceae.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The great diversity of plants cited by the informants demonstrates the potential of local vegetation and the importance of traditional knowledge in the research process and in the characterization of forage resources. This diversity also favors the selection of promising species for future biotechnological investigations.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biologia da Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Laboratório de Etnobiologia Aplicada e Teórica (LEA), Recife, Pernambuco, CEP: 52171-900, Brazil. alibiol@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Alissandra Trajano
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Nunes
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Fitotecnia e Ciências Ambientais, Setor de Ecologia e Biodiversidade, Laboratório de Etnoecologia, Universidade Federal da Paraíba. Campus II. Centro de Ciências Agrárias, Areia, Paraíba, CEP: 58.397-000, Brazil. reinaldo@cca.ufpb.br.
authors.forename: Reinaldo Farias
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Paivade Lucena
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Zootecnia, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, CEP: 52171-900, Brazil. mercia@dz.ufrpe.br.
authors.forename: Mércia Virgínia
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Ferreira dos Santos
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biologia da Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Laboratório de Etnobiologia Aplicada e Teórica (LEA), Recife, Pernambuco, CEP: 52171-900, Brazil. upa@db.ufrpe.br.
authors.forename: Ulysses Paulino
authors.initials: UP
authors.lastname: Albuquerque
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000821:Animal Feed; D000822:Animal Husbandry; D001938:Brazil; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010945:Plants, Edible; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires