The edited volume brings out a comprehensive collection of information relevant to wild food plants, their importance for global sustainable food security, future-readiness, and resilient agriculture. The book's primary focus is to cover topics on the diversity of wild food plants across the globe, their nutraceutical importance, production-consumption trends, integration into the current food menu, and marketing and livelihood opportunities to the indigenous people. Sustainable development goals 1, 2, and 3 are significant for a poverty-free, hunger-free world and ensure good health and wellbeing of the people, respectively. The three goals are important and interlinked as achieving zero poverty will help reduce hunger among the people. Availability of nutritional and balanced food ensures good health. Wild food plants are an essential part of a nourishing and healthy diet for indigenous communities. They are globally collected from natural habitats or cultivated at more minor scales. Although consumed locally, they are an essential part of the diets of tribal and indigenous communities worldwide and hold immense potential to alleviate global hunger. Considering their importance for global sustainable food security, it is essential to clearly understand the future role of wild food plants for future readiness and resilient agriculture. Therefore, this book provides a piece of important information on these aspects. The book is a valuable resource for the audience ranging from undergraduate science students to the NGOs and institutions involved in poverty alleviation programs, policymakers, dieticians, horticulturists, plant breeders, farmers, health experts, and food enthusiasts.
Author(s): Ajay Kumar, Pardeep Singh, Suruchi Singh, Bhupinder Singh
Series: Plant Life and Environment Dynamics
Publisher: Springer
Year: 2023
Language: English
Pages: 392
City: Singapore
Preface
Contents
Editors and Contributors
Chapter 1: An Introduction to Wild Food Plants for Zero Hunger and Resilient Agriculture
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Different Categories of WFPs
1.2.1 Grain legumes
1.2.2 Root and Tuber Crops
1.2.3 Leafy Vegetables
1.2.4 Fruits
1.2.5 Oilseed Crops
1.2.6 Other Crops
1.3 Diversity of Wild Food Plants
1.4 The Role of WFPs in Achieving Zero Hunger
1.5 Resilience of WFPs
1.6 Other Benefits
1.6.1 Medicinal Potentials
1.6.2 Economic Potential
1.6.3 Sociocultural Potential
1.7 Challenges Associated with WFPs
1.8 Conclusions and Future Prospects
References
Chapter 2: The Culture Has Not Faded: Reliance on Diverse Wild Edible Plants in Prehistory, History, and Modern Times
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Human History: Hunting and Gathering-The Spectra of Wild Edible Resources
2.3 A Parallel Resource to Agricultural Production and Changing Dynamics
2.4 Various Dimensions of Wild Edible Plants in the Anthropogenic Landscapes
2.4.1 Agricultural Weeds
2.4.2 Other Nondomesticated Biota
2.5 The Cultural Legacy of Gathering: Consuming Various Wild Plants and Their Diversity
2.6 Heterogeneity in Use: Role of Culture
2.7 Implications for Food Security Policies and Sustainable Food System
References
Chapter 3: Wild Food Plants: History, Use, and Impacts of Globalization
3.1 Introduction
3.2 History and Culture of WFPs
3.3 Documenting the Use of WFPs
3.4 Socioeconomic Status of WFPs
3.5 Impacts of Globalization and WFPs
3.6 Health and Nutritional Benefits
3.7 Diversity and Food Security
3.8 Conservation and Sustainable Use
3.9 Monitoring and Co-management
3.10 Challenges Ahead
3.11 Policy and Interventions
3.12 Conclusions
References
Chapter 4: A Cross-continental Survey of Traditional Food Systems That Are Based on Wild Food Plants
4.1 Introduction
4.2 Wild Food Plants
4.3 Traditional Food Systems Based on Wild Food Plants
4.4 Wild Food Plant-Based Traditional Foods as a Source of Healthy and Nutritious Diets
4.5 Traditional Food Systems and Food Security
4.6 Cultural Importance of Traditional Food Systems
4.7 Environmental Importance of Traditional Food Systems
4.8 Traditional Food Systems and Climate Change
4.9 Conclusions and Future Prospects
References
Chapter 5: Usage of Wild Edible Plants Among Upland Indigenous Communities of Northeastern States of India
5.1 Introduction
5.2 Potential Usage of Wild Edible Resources in Different States in Northeast India
5.2.1 Arunachal Pradesh
5.2.2 Assam
5.2.3 Manipur
5.2.4 Meghalaya
5.2.5 Mizoram
5.2.6 Nagaland
5.2.7 Sikkim
5.2.8 Tripura
5.3 Wild Edible Plants: Alternate Source of Nutrition and Food Security
5.3.1 Wild Edible Fruits
5.3.2 Wild Edible Leafy Vegetables
5.3.3 Wild Edible Ferns
5.3.4 Wild Edible Mushroom
5.3.5 Wild Edible Flowers
5.4 Conclusion and Future Perspectives
References
Chapter 6: Nutritional and Health Benefits of High Altitude Wild Food Plant, Hippophae rhamnoides for the Himalayan Communities
6.1 Introduction
6.2 Nutritional Composition
6.3 Ethnomedicinal Uses of Sbt
6.4 Importance of Sbt for Himalayan Communities
6.5 Pharmacotherapeutic Uses of Sbt
6.5.1 Antioxidant Capacity
6.5.2 Anti-inflammatory Capacity
6.5.3 Antiaging Effects
6.5.4 Neuroprotective Effects
6.5.5 Radioprotective Capacity
6.5.6 Influence Gut Microbiota
6.5.7 Antifungal Capacity
6.5.8 Anticancer Activity
6.5.9 Antibacterial Capacity
6.5.10 Hepatoprotective Effects
6.5.11 Other Uses
6.6 Conclusions
References
Chapter 7: Nutritional Potential of Wild Edible Rose Hips in India for Food Security
7.1 Introduction
7.2 Ethnomedicinal Uses
7.3 Nutritional Composition
7.3.1 Vitamins and Minerals
7.3.2 Carbohydrates and Proteins
7.3.3 Carotenoids and Tocopherols
7.3.4 Phenolics, Flavonoids, and Tannins
7.3.5 Terpenes
7.3.6 FAs and Galactolipids
7.3.7 Dietary Fibers
7.4 Conclusions and Future Prospects
References
Chapter 8: Ethnic Mountain Foods of Western and Eastern Himalayas, India
8.1 Introduction
8.2 Selected Wild Food Plants Found in the Eastern and Western Himalayas
8.2.1 Traditional Ethnic Foods Prepared from the Wild Food Plants
8.2.2 Processing, Marketing, and Supply Chain Management of Wild Mountain Food Plants
8.2.3 Ethnoveterinary Uses of the Selected Plants in Western and Eastern Himalayas
8.3 Nutritional Value
8.4 Medicinal Importance of the Selected Plants
8.5 Phytoconstituents of the Selected Mountain Wild Food Plants
8.6 Conclusions and Future Prospects
References
Chapter 9: Re-emergence of Pseudocereals as Superfoods for Food Security and Human Health: Current Progress and Future Prospec...
9.1 Introduction
9.2 History and Naming of the Pseudocereals
9.2.1 Amaranth
9.2.2 Quinoa
9.2.3 Chia
9.2.4 Buckwheat
9.3 The Traditional Importance of Pseudocereals
9.4 Re-emergence of Pseudocereals as Superfoods
9.4.1 Nutritional Importance (Compared with Cereals)
9.4.2 Medicinal Importance
9.4.2.1 Gluten-Free Foods
9.4.2.2 Prebiotics/Probiotics in Pseudocereals for Maintaining Gut Health
9.4.2.3 Bioactive Compounds
9.5 Pseudocereals as Climate-Smart Crops
9.6 Genetics and Genomics of Pseudocereals
9.7 Challenges in Using Pseudocereals
9.8 Conclusions and Future Prospects
References
Chapter 10: Nutraceutical Potential of Tropical Wild Edible Plants of India
10.1 Introduction
10.2 Relevance of Plant-Based Nutraceuticals in the Present Era
10.3 People and Wild Food Plants
10.4 What Are Nutraceuticals?
10.5 Nutraceutical Market
10.6 Wild Edible Plants with Medicinal Attributes
10.7 Conservation Aspects and Challenges
10.7.1 Conservation
10.7.2 Challenges
10.8 Conclusion and Future Perspectives
References
Chapter 11: Utilization of Wild Food Plants for Crop Improvement Programs
11.1 Introduction
11.2 The Wild Crop Relatives´ Diversity
11.3 Importance of Crop Wild Relatives
11.4 Crop Improvement: Importance and Methods Adopted
11.4.1 Plant Introduction
11.4.2 Polyploidy Breeding
11.4.3 Distant Hybridizations
11.4.4 Advanced Backcross: QTL Analysis
11.4.5 Genetic Engineering
11.4.6 Gene Editing
11.5 Crop Wild Relatives as a Promising Resource for Crop Improvement
11.5.1 Biotic Stress Tolerance
11.5.2 Abiotic Stress Tolerance
11.5.3 Nutritional Improvement
11.5.4 Yield Improvement
11.6 Challenges and Strategies to Overcome Barriers in Using CWR for Crop Breeding
11.7 Conclusions
References
Chapter 12: Conservation of Wild Food Plants and Crop Wild Relatives: Planning, Strategies, Priorities, and Legal Frameworks
12.1 Introduction
12.2 Relevance of Crop Wild Relatives and Wild Food Plants
12.3 Status of Crop Wild Relatives and Wild Food Plants at the Global, National, Regional and Local Levels
12.4 Threats to Wild Food Plants and Crop Wild Relatives
12.5 Conservation Priorities and Strategies
12.5.1 Conservation Priorities
12.5.2 Conservation Strategies
12.6 Legal Frameworks for the Protection of CWRs and WFPs
12.7 Future Prospects of CWRs and WFPs
12.8 Conclusions
References
Chapter 13: Databases Relevant to Wild Food Plants
13.1 Introduction
13.2 Need for Databases
13.3 Databases for Wild Food Plants
13.3.1 Distribution, Taxonomy, and Traditional Uses Related
13.3.2 Chromosome Number and Genomics-Related Databases
13.3.3 Phytochemistry-Related Databases
13.4 Conclusions
References
Chapter 14: A Comprehensive Update on Traditional Agricultural Knowledge of Farmers in India
14.1 Introduction
14.2 Various Traditional Practices of Farmers
14.2.1 Crop Production and Management
14.2.2 Plant Protection
14.2.3 Farm Machine and Tools
14.2.4 Soil and Water Management
14.2.5 Animal Husbandry
14.2.6 Medicinal and Aromatic Plants against Diseases
14.2.7 Stored Grain Pests´ Management
14.2.8 Weed Management
14.2.9 Food Products
14.3 Conclusions and Future Directions
References
