Table 4. Socio-cultural benefits of ITFCs.

Socio-cultural benefits of ITFCs
Description	Findings	Location	Reference
Traditional food habits expressed and reinforced by holistic utilization.	Allows for the strengthening of cultural identity, community development, and collective heritage.	Africa	[31,41,104,120]
ITFCs can be a source of novelty food.	Particularly for specialty restaurants catering for the tourist trade.	Southern Africa	[105]
Food processing cooperative within urban regions using ITFCs would contribute towards promoting quality of life.	Increased quality of life in a variety of ways, including income, jobs, and greater demand for ITFCs.	Limpopo, South Africa	[121]
Close connection to land due to the awareness of ITFCs creates continued adaptive management.	This knowledge and understanding are encoded into stories, norms, rules, and institutions.	Africa	[10]
The manifestation of indigenous food sovereignty has developed its own definition of policy and rights.	Therefore allowing for a greater awareness and power associated with ITFCs.	Eastern Cape, South Africa	[78]
ITFCs can strengthen the role of women’s identity.	Women care for and cultivate ITFCs, therefore making a lot of money, and so improving their position in society.	Benin	[122]
ITFCs are interlinked with indigenous food systems.	This represents sustainable livelihoods, biodiversity conservation, and traditions. An approach that could play an important role in addressing global food requirements.	Africa	[123,124]
ITFCs and the gardens where they occur help with social upliftment and crime reduction.	By enhancing and strengthening social contact, although this is not necessarily experienced equally.	Cape Town, South Africa	[106]
An efficient interaction between local knowledge and the nutritional value of ITFCs.	ITFCs and their food systems create a balance between nature and culture.	Africa of Africa	[10,125]
The upsurge in ethnobotanical studies adds impetus.	Revitalizing the use of ITFCs.	Eastern Cape, South Africa	[126]
ITFCs may provide a basis for local seed banks.	Creation of farmer seed autonomy.	Sub-Saharan Africa	[9]
ITFCs contribute to promoting healthy environments	For people’s inner wellness, offering psychological benefit.	Africa	[55]
Food tourism is of increasing relevance	Local culture becomes a tourism resource using ITFCs and encourages adventurous chefs and entrepreneurs to invest in local cuisine. ITFCs therefore will enhance local community “brand identity”.	South Africa	[41,76]
The use of documentation of ITFCs helps preserve the knowledge and prevents a loss of valuable information	This would make a large contribution to literature and knowledge, benefiting communities through easy access to information on the medicinal uses and allowing greater awareness of ITFCs.	Benin, Ghana	[122]
ITFCs provide a “hidden harvest”	Use of ITFCs as co-evolving species to supplement both earnings and food.	Africa	[10]
Cultures are adapted to localities and so offer greater resilience	Therefore, communities are configured to a range of livelihoods and land use which is best suited for their resources and capabilities	Africa	[10]