Mainstreaming Indigenous Fruits and Vegetables for a food and nutrition secure future

 

Asia is known for its collective biodiversity, rich culture, and home to a wide variety of crops like wild edible, and semi-domesticated species that support not just the local and regional population but also the rest of the world. These underutilized crops are grown in areas that are also home to more than half of the world’s hungry population. According to an FAO report, around 77 percent of households living in or near forests in 24 countries in Latin America, Africa, and Asia collect and consume wild foods with varying levels of use—some consume it regularly, some to augment nutrition and dietary needs, and some for commercial use, among others.

In the collective effort to bridge the gap in poverty and malnutrition in Asia and around the world, there are strong calls for the increased consumption of traditional foods like indigenous fruits and vegetables (IFVs)—foods that are grown in the local environment, and are typically domesticated and accessed by indigenous peoples. This food category usually is something that IPs do not have to purchase and exist within specific cultures and traditional knowledge and environment. By mainstreaming IFVs, we are presenting opportunities to improve diets and nutrition and boost livelihoods in the region, paving the path to food and nutrition security. The currently neglected and underutilized crops have the potential to enhance overall diets in developing countries specifically in indigenous communities, who are most familiar in the management and regulation of local environments, in Asia where most of undernutrition and poverty is also observed. IFVs can provide a direct source of a range vitamins and minerals that can fortify diets of consumers.  

WEBINAR AGENDA (13:00-16:00pm, BKK time) 

13:00-13:10 Introduction/Welcome     

Takayuki, Hagiwara, Regional Programmed Leader, FAO-RAP

Group Photo

Juan Lucas Restrepo, Director General, Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT

13:10-13:25  Overview presentation      

Stephan Weise, Managing Director for Asia, Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT

Rosa Rolle, Senior Enterprise Development Officer, FAO

13:25-13:55  Country Perspectives        

Bangladesh        

Kamrul Hasan, Professor, Department of Horticulture Bangladesh Agriculture University

India                 

Suresh K. Malhotra, Agriculture & Horticulture Commissioner, MAFW

Mongolia           

Bayarsukh Noov, Director of Mongolian Institute of Plant and Agriculture Sciences

Pakistan            

M. Azeem Khan, Chairman, Pakistan Agricultural Research Council

Thailand            

Traprueksa Tanyakaset, Subject Matter Specialist, Department of Agricultural Extension, MoAC

13:55-14:55    Case Study Presentations   

Global Insights on Biodiversity for Food and Nutrition

Danny Hunter, Senior Scientist & Teresa Borelli, Research Officer, Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT

Regional Insights on Biodiversity for Food and Nutrition

Prem Mathur, Senior Technical Advisor, UNDP

Country insight from Sri Lanka

Gamini Samarasinghe, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture

Country insight from Vietnam

Ngo Thi Hanh, Head, Department of Vegetables and Spicy Crops, Fruit and Vegetable Research Institute

Country insight from India

BHS Murthy, Director, ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticulture 

14.55-15.25 Panel discussion     

Ravi Khetarpal, Executive Secretary, APAARI

Santosh Shrestha, Senior Programme Manager, LI-BIRD

Lei Li, Director of International collaboration Officer/Division of Scientific Management, The Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences

Hossein Ashari Leskokalayeh, Director General of Vegetables Office in Deputy Minister for  Agronomy, Ministry of Agri-Jahad

Lorna Herradura, Chief, Bureau of Plant Industry, Davao

Mary Ann Guerrero, Chief, Bureau of Plant Industry, Crop Research and Production Support Division

15.25-15.50  Participant reflection

15.50-16:00  Feedback