Ethnobotanical study of local food plants used by the Sikka People in Flores, East Nusa Tenggara Province

Abstract

The Krowe and Tana Ai ethnic groups are indigenous communities residing in the Sikka Regency of East Nusa Tenggara. Their lifestyles continue to uphold cultural traditions passed down through generations, one of which includes the use of plants for food in daily life. Documentation of food plant usage by the Sikka people, particularly these two ethnic groups, has never been conducted. This prompted researchers to preserve local knowledge and biodiversity, which are increasingly being eroded by modern developments. This study was conducted in Hewokloang Village, representing the Krowe ethnic group, and Pruda Village, representing the Tana Ai ethnic group. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were employed using an ethnobotanical approach. Respondents included 110 people, comprising general respondents and key informants (traditional and community leaders). The study identified 23 species of local plants used for food, classified into four categories: tubers, cereals, legumes, and fruits/flowers/stems. The highest Use Value (UV) of 0.027 was recorded for red rice, black rice, rice, taro, cassava, and yam. Meanwhile, the highest Relative Frequency of Citation (RFC) value of 1.00 (100% recognition) was found for taro, cassava, red rice, rice, and kepok banana. The tuber group had the highest Informant Consensus Factor (ICF) value at 0.9895.