Unlocking the potential of wild edibles

Crop diversity: the debate that truly matters for food security and sustainability

Bioversity scientists, Danny Hunter and Teresa Borelli, explain how a four-country initiative ‘Biodiversity for food and nutrition’ is putting wild edible species back on the menu in their recent joint article published on the IUCN website.

Many wild edible species are disappearing due to environmental pressures or to neglect as populations worldwide move away from traditional food systems towards more simplified and energy-rich diets. To reverse this trend and unlock the full potential of wild edibles, the 'Biodiversity for Food and Nutrition' project (BFN Project) is working with the governments of Brazil, Kenya, Sri Lanka and Turkey – four countries that are biodiversity hotspots – to promote the conservation and sustainable use of nutritionally-relevant local biodiversity.

Bioversity International scientists Danny Hunter and Teresa Borelli explain more in their joint article posted this week on the IUCN website: Opens external link in new window'Unlocking the potential of wild edibles'.

This work is part of Bioversity International's Diet Diversity for Nutrition and Health research area. It also contributes to the CGIAR Research Program on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health.