Edible Wild Plants An Alternative Approach To Food Security

This text focuses on underutilized wild plants that can help to reduce food deficiency in developing nations. Edible wild plants are viewed as a potential solution for overcoming food insecurity for families in these regions, with a specific focus on sustainable production and conservation measures. Detailed analysis of specific wild plants is provided, including the nutritional contents of each plant. A full list of edible wild plants is included for the benefit of researchers, plus a pictorial guide for easy identification of these plants. Specific case studies are provided in which edible wild plants are used to reduce food insecurity, and the diversity of edible wild plants is studied from a global perspective. In developing countries, a significant obstacle to human survival is the increasing gap between food availability and the growing human population. Food insecurity results in less consumption of fruits and vegetables and leads to mineral and vitamin deficiency for individuals in these regions. Edible Wild plants: An alternative approach to food security focuses on growing and using wild plants in order to reduce food insecurity and malnutrition. Wild edible plants are inexpensive and are a rich source of antioxidants, vitamins, fiber, and minerals. As the first book to specifically focus on edible wild plants and their vital role in food security and nutrition, this text is incredibly valuable to any researcher studying innovative potential solutions to food deficiency in the developing world.

The UN's Sustainable Development Goals saw the global community agree to end hunger and malnutrition in all its forms by 2030. However, the number of chronically undernourished people is increasing continuously. Ongoing climate change and the action needed to adapt to it are very likely to aggravate this situation by limiting agricultural land and water resources and changing environmental conditions for food production. Climate change and the actions it requires raise questions of justice, especially regarding food security. These key concerns of ethics and justice for food security due to climate change challenges are the focus of this book, which brings together work by scholars from a wide range of disciplines and a multitude of perspectives. These experts discuss the challenges to food security posed by mitigation, geoengineering, and adaptation measures that tackle the impacts of climate change. Others address the consequences of a changing climate for agriculture and food production and how the Covid-19 pandemic has affected food security and animal welfare.

The book provides significant information on some of the promising edible medicinal plants and how these possess both nutritive as well as medicinal value. The significance of these edible plants in traditional medicine, their distribution in different regions and the importance of their chemical constituents are discussed systematically concerning the role of these plants in ethnomedicine in different regions of the world. The current volume focuses on the economic and culturally important medicinal uses of edible plants and a detailed survey of the literature on scientific researches of pharmacognostical characteristics, traditional uses, scientific validation, and phytochemical composition, and pharmacological activities. This book is a single-source scientific reference to explore the specific factors that contribute to these potential health benefits, as well as discussing how to maximize those potential benefits. Chemists, food technologists, pharmacologists, phytochemists as well as all professionals involved with quality control and standardization will find in this book a valuable and updated basis for their work.

This book is designed to raise awareness of the use of wild plants in farming systems around the world. It describes the contribution of wild plants as a source of food, fuel wood, shelter, medicines and dyes, and their role in income generation for the improved welfare of farm households and local people. Wild plants are also of paramount importance as sources of wild germplasm that might enhance the productivity, disease resistance, winter hardiness, drought survival of cultured species. This publication analyses the potential of wild species, as well as the natural, social, economic, legal and institutional factors that constrain their use and development potential.

Himalayan Fruits and Berries: Bioactive Compounds, Uses and Nutraceutical Potential presents nutraceutical fruits and berries from the Himalayan region and highlights their potential use in nutraceutical products. Beginning with the introduction of the Himalayan region and its wild fruits, this book explores various kinds of wild fruits and berries. It includes coverage of traditional, ethnomedicinal, and local uses of potential nutraceutical fruits and analyzes their distribution, availability, and cultivation methods. The book also provides a detailed summary of clinical studies and presents "from field to industry" case studies. Wild fruits and berries play an important role in mitigating hunger in the developing world, and these fruits are consumed either in whole or extracted for use in nutraceutical production. Nutrition researchers, food scientists, food chemists, plant scientists, pharmacologists, as well as students or researchers working in pharmaceutical and nutraceutical industries exploring the use of Himalayan wild berries and fruits as new components and sources in nutraceuticals will benefit from this book. Includes coverage of the traditional, ethnomedicinal, and local uses of potential nutraceutical fruits and berries Presents bioactive chemical constituents and nutraceutical properties of Himalayan fruits and berries Addresses current challenges related to sustainable utilization, mass production, and the transfer from field to the industry of potential nutraceutical fruits and berries

Forests cover thirty-one percent of the world’s land surface, provide habitats for animals, livelihoods for humans, and generate household income in rural areas of developing countries. They also supply other essential amenities, for instance, they filter water, control water runoff, protect soil erosion, regulate climate, store nutrients, and facilitate countless non-timber forest products (NTFPs). The main NTFPs comprise herbs, grasses, climbers, shrubs, and trees used for food, fodder, fuel, beverages, medicine, animals, birds and fish for food, fur, and feathers, as well as their products, like honey, lac, silk, and paper. At present, these products play an important role in the daily life and well-being of millions of people worldwide. Hence the forest and its products are very valuable and often NTFPs are considered as the ‘potential pillars of sustainable forestry’. NTFPs items like food, herbal drugs, forage, fuel-wood, fountain, fibre, bamboo, rattans, leaves, barks, resins, and gums have been continuously used and exploited by humans. Wild edible foods are rich in terms of vitamins, protein, fat, sugars, and minerals. Additionally, some NTFPs are used as important raw materials for pharmaceutical industries. Numerous industry-based NTFPs are now being exported in considerable quantities by developing countries. Accordingly, this sector facilitates employment opportunities in remote rural areas. So, these developments also highlight the role of NTFPs in poverty alleviation in different regions of the world. This book provides a wide spectrum of information on NTFPs, including important references. We hope that the compendium of chapters in this book will be very useful as a reference book for graduate and postgraduate students and researchers in various disciplines of forestry, botany, medical botany, economic botany, ecology, agroforestry, and biology. Additionally, this book should be useful for scientists, experts, and consultants associated with the forestry sector.

This book is the result of collaboration between botanists and food chemists, with the purpose of improving the knowledge of the main wild species of traditional use as foods in the Mediterranean area, focus on ethnobotanical aspects, natural production, uses and nutritional aspects. One of the novelties of the book would be the publication of complete food composition tables of more than 40 species, which are not usually included in nutrient databases of foods. Many of the data included comes from the chemical analysis of representative samples of these species and other are compiled from the scientific literature. Since this topic had not been fully studied, this book provides an interesting tool to be used with the purpose of the revalorization of wild food species, preservation of their traditional uses, and also as alternatives to improve the diversity of modern Mediterranean diets.​

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.