SIANI’s new expert group Wild Foods in Asia will showcase the role of wild forest food and traditional crops. The group works with local communities in India and Philippines to document species and methods so that valuable traditional knowledge will be passed on to new generations.
Many rural and Indigenous communities in Asia have over the years developed a deep understanding of wild foods but that expertise is now often in decline. The Non-Timber Forest Products Exchange Programme Asia (NTFP-EP Asia) works to preserve important traditional knowledge and will lead the new expert group, which builds on insights from the previous expert group Wild foods, biodiversity and livelihoods, active in 2021-22.
We asked the group’s coordinator, Madhu Ramnath from NTFP – Exchange Programme India to introduce the Wild Foods in Asia expert group.
What is your project about?
Broadly, it is about wild and traditional food systems. By wild foods we mean many different forms of uncultivated foods primarily from forests, including edible plants, mushrooms and animals that are not domesticated. The project is about improving knowledge about such foodways among Indigenous communities where it has declined; and developing methods and local leaders to uphold such systems of knowledge and pass them on to the next generation.
Why is this important?
Wild forest food and traditional crops contribute to food security, biodiversity, and livelihoods. Not least it is important for people living in poverty and in times of crisis. During the COVID-19 pandemic transportation of food was disrupted which made more people return to the forests to source food. But access to wild food is restricted both by biodiversity loss and by lack of knowledge, which we urgently need to address.
Who are the members of the expert group?
The group is coordinated by Madhu Ramnath, Non-Timber Forest Products – Exchange Programme India and Michelle Angeli Lapiz from Non-Timber Forest Products – Exchange Programme Asia, for communications. They are supported by the Philippine academic Dr Ramon Razal who has taught at the University of Los Banos; Dr Jeremy Ironside, an expert management of the Mekong Basin from New Zealand and the Vietnamese biologist and ecologist Dr Truong who heads the Southern Institute of Ecology in Ho Chi Minh City.
Which activities do you plan?
We will primarily work in India and the Philippines where we plan many exchanges between Indigenous communities. A study on dioscorea will be carried out in Vietnam and will be closely linked to India’s ongoing research in this field. Most of the activities planned are hands-on since the people we will work with are best reached by practical examples.
The activities will include conversations between elders and youth and among women from these communities. Furthermore, we plan to prepare accessible posters in local languages that can be used widely in the region. The project also involves some experiments with harvesting and cooking.
What type of change can be achieved through your project?
A better understanding of wild foods and traditional crops, including how these have traditionally been valued within communities where this knowledge is now declining. We hope to see this type of foods more frequently included in local diets and in farming and gardening practices, which would lead to improved health.
How can I learn more about wild foods and the project?
The Non-Timber Forest Products Exchange Programme Asia has developed extensive knowledge on the topic, which can be found on the websites NTFP-EP Asia and NTFP-EP India. Important insights were gathered by the previous expert group Wild foods, biodiversity and livelihoods of which some were synthesized on Wild Food Asia.
Updates about the group can be found on the Wild Foods in Asia project page and through SIANI’s social media channels.