Mandi botanist Tara Devi believes wild plants are the source of food security

According to Tara Devi Sen, an assistant professor in the botany department at Vallabh College in Mandi, wild edible plants are essential to the nation’s sustainable food system.

In the globe, there are around 2,60,000 blooming plants. Twenty thousand of these plants are capable of producing edible plant components, such as roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits, or seeds, and they may help ensure human food and nutritional security, according to Sen. Nevertheless, of these 20,000 edible plants, only 3,000 have been used by humans for food up to this point, and only 150 are being grown commercially. The remainder are taken from the wild. Nevertheless, outside of their natural habitat or intended usage, the majority of these wild edible plants (WEPs) remain unknown to the outside world.

According to her, in order to guarantee food security for all people, regardless of national boundaries, it is critical that these foods be promoted and grown.

It is thought that the current global food system can provide the globe with enough calories. Sen said, “But there are still millions of people who go without food or who suffer from hunger.”

She bemoaned the underutilization of plant resources, which resulted in food shortages, high prices, and an unstable supply of nutritious food in many regions of the globe.

2020 World Health Organization research estimates that two billion people would likely have poor food quality and nutritional deficits in the near future, increasing their susceptibility to illness. We must include only pure foods on our plates as a remedy. Thus, she said, “people all over the globe have been searching for food that increases immunity without using chemicals.

“We need higher yields to feed the rising human population while agricultural land is becoming scarcer. Chemical fertilizers and pesticides are widely used in contemporary farming to achieve this goal. According to her, a number of studies have also connected major health problems to the presence of chemicals and pesticides in food. “It is challenging to obtain food items that are completely chemical-free, despite the promotion of organic farming, which uses very little in the way of chemicals.”

Sen said that the global emphasis at the moment is on finding low-cost and alternative sources of wholesome food. It has been estimated that one billion people worldwide consume wild foods on a regular basis. Sen said, “This product, however, is seasonal and mostly meets local requirements. “WEPs have been a part of our food system for ages, and if they were absent, the gap between supply and demand would be much wider,” the speaker said. They served as a method of survival in times of hunger and drought as well. However, many people—especially those from rural communities—have forgotten the significance of WEPs as a result of modernization, urbanization, and westernization.

Sen claims that since the state is a part of the Western Himalaya region, it has a high floristic variety, making it a great place to find WEPs, many of which are unique to this location. All year long, their product may be sold both raw and prepared.

The produce of many WEPs native to the region, she continued, is not utilized to its full potential despite their high market value and high demand worldwide. She attributed this to a number of factors, including locals’ ignorance of WEPs’ vast potential, a lack of market opportunities, the limitations of hilly terrain (volatility of weather, fragility, marginal land, inaccessibility), and a lack of adequate infrastructure.

“So, in order to fully realize their potential, WEPs are not used effectively, resulting in resource waste. But without reducing waste, it is impossible to sustain both the supply and demand for healthful food in the existing environment. To do this, we must fortify the fresh harvest supply chain and accelerate value-adding and processing. Harvesting, processing, grading, adding value, certifying, and distributing the crop in a timely manner can all be done sustainably, according to Sen.

It is necessary to update traditional recipes and distribute them to specific audiences, including business owners, self-help organizations, vendors, hotels, and restaurateurs. Due to its popularity as a travel destination, the state is visited “all the season and all the reason.” Therefore, the growth of culinary tourism may help popularize the distinctive WEP recipes found in this area. It will also support the preservation of traditional knowledge and culinary customs, as well as the enhancement of livelihoods.