Wild Food Plants: History, Use, and Impacts of Globalization

Wild food plants (WFPs) make significant contributions to food baskets and livelihoods of a large number of subsistence farming communities. Many rural households and forest dwelling communities are dependent on WFPs as a subsistence strategy, especially during adverse conditions of food insecurity. WFPs have played an important role in livelihood opportunities and providing the required nutritional security to people enduring crop losses. In recent years, globalization has led to drastic changes in food systems/diets, which has had a major impact on health and malnutrition in many small and marginalized communities. Simplification and reduction in the diversity of diet, as expected of the globalization pattern, has led to food systems that are low in nutritional requirements but high in calorific value. Understanding the importance of WFP is critical for the region and the country. This chapter gives a broad overview of the importance of WFPs and their role in tackling food security and meeting the nutritional requirement of many marginalized communities. The WFPs are culturally deep-rooted in many communities across the globe. Detailed documentation on the nutritional and curative values, amount, part and time of collection, and phenology of WFPs is important. Re-establishing the intimate association with the use of traditional foods originating from trees and herbaceous plants could help in meeting the nutritional requirements. Incorporating indigenous knowledge may help in the sustainable management of WFPs along with meeting the needs of the communities. An integrated conservation approach is needed to document, protect, and promote WFP resources as well as ensure their accessibility for future generations.