Organic wild species crops: A tool to recover traditional knowledge, and to enhance biodiversity, food security and sustainable rural development

In the context of intense ecological and socioeconomic changes on Mediterranean regions, we performed semi – structured interviews to recuperate the traditional knowledge of plants. We analyse the reported species (and those added from the literature) to evaluate their ecological appropriateness for cultivation, and their ecological and market value. We selected the 46 species (35 of them reported by the informants) that scored high for organic cultivation. These results indicate the high potential of wild species to develop new ecological and economical valuable crops, and the high value of traditional knowledge as an information source.Keywords: Agroecology, NUS (Neglected and Underutilized Species), ethnobotany, organic farming, Mediterranean landscap

Seed production and dispersal limit treeline advance in the Pyrenees

Aims Pinus uncinata is the major treeline‐forming species in the Pyrenees. Yet, the role of its reproduction and dispersal as drivers of treeline dynamics remains unknown. Here we quantify seed production, dispersal and germination changes along the elevation gradient to assess whether they may constrain the foreseen treeline advance in the Pyrenees. Location Central Pyrenees, Catalonia, NE Spain. Methods We established four plots along an elevation gradient from the closed subalpine forest to the krummholz zone at five study sites. In each plot, we collected cones from five to six trees, measured their length, and triggered their opening in the laboratory to count the number of empty seeds and the number and weight of full seeds. We used the collected seeds in a germination experiment under controlled conditions in growth chambers. Additionally, we installed seed traps along the forest-alpine grassland transition to measure seed rain for three consecutive years in three of the study sites. Results The number of full seeds per cone decreased along the elevation gradient and was correlated with cone length. However, the proportion of full seeds per cone and their weight did not differ between elevation positions. Seed rain decreased drastically with elevation and no seeds arrived into the alpine grassland traps consistently across study years. Although germination success did not significantly differ between elevation provenances (i.e., elevation position of origin), we found significant differences in germination dynamics between study sites and between elevation provenances within sites. Conclusions Our results indicate that whereas the viability of Pinus uncinata seeds is not limited by elevation, seed production and dispersal are constraining the ongoing rates of treeline advance in the Pyrenee

The Power of Wild Plants in Feeding Humanity: A Meta-Analytic Ethnobotanical Approach in the Catalan Linguistic Area

Wild food plants (WFP) have always been present in our kitchen, although they have not always been given the same importance as crops. In the Catalan linguistic area (CLA), covered in this paper, WFP were of great importance as a subsistence food not only during the years of the Spanish civil war (1936-1939) and World War II (1939-1945), but also long before these periods and in the years thereafter. The CLA has been well studied at the level of traditional knowledge on plant biodiversity, and much of this information is collected in a database by the EtnoBioFiC research group. The aim of this work is to carry out a meta-analysis of the WFP dataset of the CLA (only regarding edible uses, drinks excluded) and to identify the most quoted plants, and the information associated with them. With data from 1659 informants, we recorded 10,078 use reports of 291 taxa (278 of which at specific or subspecific levels and 13 only determined at generic level) belonging to 67 families. The most reported taxa, also with highest cultural importance indexes, are Thymus vulgaris, Foeniculum vulgare subsp. piperitum, Laurus nobilis, Rubus ulmifolius and Mentha spicata. The ethnobotanicity index for food plants is 6.62% and the informant consensus factor, also for food uses, is a very high 0.97, supporting the robustness of the information. The results provided and discussed in this work concern a significant part of the edible resources in the territory considered, which is, often and mainly, underestimated and underutilised. Its consideration could be an opportunity to promote closer and more sustainable agriculture. From the state-of-the-art of this question, it is possible to propose old, in some cases forgotten foods that could be newly introduced onto the market, first, but not only, at a local level, which could be interesting for new crop development in the frame of a valorisation of territorial identity. Keywords: Catalan countries; Catalan linguistic area; edible plants; ethnobotany; traditional knowledge; wild food plant

La recuperació dels coneixements tradicionals relatius a la biodiversitat com a eina per al desenvolupament d'un model agroalimentari més sostenible: estudi etnobotànic de la comarca de l'Anoia, desenvolupament de nous cultius amb espècies silvestres, i acceptació per part dels consumidors dels productes elaborats amb espècies silvestres i varietats tradicionals

[cat] Des de principis del segle XX fins a l’actualitat s’han produït importants transformacions socioeconòmiques (despoblament rural, industrialització, globalització) i ambientals (canvi climàtic, uniformització del mosaic agroforestal, pèrdua de biodiversitat i funcionalitat dels agreoecosistemes, increment de la pressió urbana sobre el territori). Paral·lelament, des de l’arribada de la revolució verda el sistema agrari ha tingut com a objectiu prioritari maximitzar la productivitat, mitjançant la intensificació agrícola i l’ús generalitzat de productes fitosanitaris i adobs químics. Alhora, s’ha produït un clar envelliment en el sector agrícola i la globalització del model agroalimentari, controlat actualment per grans corporacions. Són factors que en conjunt han comportat una clara pèrdua de biodiversitat cultivada, de coneixements tradicionals relatius a la biodiversitat, de sostenibilitat del model agroalimentari a tots els nivells (ambiental, econòmic, i social), i de sobirania alimentària. Aquesta tesi doctoral es divideix conceptualment en tres parts, que tenen com a objectiu comú la recuperació, i adaptació a la realitat actual, dels coneixements tradicionals relatius a la biodiversitat com a eina a partir de la qual afavorir la dinamització de l’entorn rural i el desenvolupament d’un model agroalimentari més sostenible. La primera part (capítols 1 – 9) consisteix en la documentació i caracterització dels coneixements tradicionals relatius a la biodiversitat de la comarca de l’Anoia, mitjançant la realització d’una prospecció etnobotànica (2014 – 2017) en la qual hem considerat tant els usos relatius a la biodiversitat silvestre com cultivada, corresponents a tots els àmbits (medicinal, veterinari, alimentari humà, alimentari animal i altres usos -fuster, cistellaire, domèstic, ornamental, lúdic, industrial, maneig agrosilvopastoral-). Alhora, hem desenvolupat nous criteris metodològics per a la selecció dels informants, que han de permetre incrementar l’eficiència en la prospecció de coneixements tradicionals relatius a la biodiversitat; i un indicador (RCI - Recuperation Capacity Index) que permet determinar les probabilitats de recuperar de forma efectiva les espècies i varietats agrícoles tradicionals documentades en un determinat territori. La segona (capítols 10 – 13) avalua l’interès ambiental, i la viabilitat agronòmica i econòmica, del cultiu de 48 espècies silvestres mitjançant una intervenció agronòmica mínima. Experiències com aquesta són elements clau per aconseguir que les espècies silvestres útils tornin a ser emprades en el quotidià, i que aquest fet contribueixi a la dinamització i al desenvolupament sostenible de l’entorn rural. Els cultius experimentals s’han desenvolupat a la comarca de l’Anoia (Catalunya) en un període de sequera extrema. També hem desenvolupat una metodologia de selecció d’espècies silvestres susceptibles d’esdevenir nous cultius, en base a criteris agronòmics, ambientals i econòmics. La tercera (capítol 14) analitza l’acceptació per part dels consumidors de 77 productes elaborats amb espècies silvestres i varietats agrícoles tradicionals en desús, mitjançant sessions de tast a cegues. Els resultats han permès determinar quines espècies i varietats, i sota quines formes de preparació, tenen un elevat potencial de ser introduïdes amb èxit en l’alimentació quotidiana. S’han documentat un gran nombre de coneixements tradicionals, pertanyents a una gran diversitat d’usos, espècies i varietats. La majoria d’espècies silvestres seleccionades han mostrat una bona adaptació a les condicions de cultiu i al maneig de mínima intervenció; i la majoria de mostres elaborades amb espècies silvestres o varietats tradicionals en desús han estat valorades al mateix nivell que les elaborades amb productes àmpliament consumits en l’actualitat. Són resultats que posen de relleu la importància de treballar coordinadament en aquests àmbits, atès el paper clau que poden tenir en el desenvolupament d’un nou model agroalimentari. Aquest ha de ser un model sostenible des d’un punt de vista ambiental, social i econòmic, altament resilient enfront del canvi climàtic, que permeti preservar la biodiversitat i funcionalitat dels agroecosistemes, i que fomenti la recuperació de la seguretat i sobirania alimentàries, i la dinamització del sector agrari i de les zones rurals.[eng] Since the beginning of 20th century, important socioeconomic (rural depopulation, industrialization, globalization) and environmental (climate change, landscape simplification, agrobiodiversity erosion, functional biodiversity loss, urban pressure) transformations have occurred. At the same time, since the development of the green revolution, the agricultural system is focused on maximizing productivity through agricultural intensification and the widespread use of phytosanitary products and chemical fertilizers. Also, there has been a clear aging of famers and the globalization of the agri-food system, currently controlled by large corporations. All these factors have led to a clear loss of agrobiodiversity, traditional knowledge, agri-food system sustainability (at environmental, economic, and social levels), and food sovereignty. This Thesis is divided into three parts, which share the common goal of recovering, and adapting to current trends, the traditional knowledge as a tool to promote the sustainable development of rural areas and the establishment of a sustainable agri-food system. The first part (chapters 1-9) consists in the documentation and characterization of the traditional knowledge of the Anoia area (Catalonia), through the realization of an ethnobotanical survey (2014 - 2017). We considered traditional knowledge of both wild and cultivated species, belonging to all humankind areas (medicinal, veterinary, human food, animal food, and other uses such as wood, basketry, domestic, ornamental, ludic, industrial, and landscape management). We also developed a new methodological criterium for the selection of informants, which should allow to increase the efficiency in the prospection of traditional knowledge; and an indicator (RCI - Recuperation Capacity Index) to determine the probability of effectively recover local land races in a given area. The second part (chapters 10-13) evaluates the environmental interest, and the agronomic and economic viability, of growing 48 wild species through minimal agronomic intervention. This approach is crucial to achieve the regular use of these species and to guarantee the positive externalities (at environmental, social, and economic levels) of that recuperation. The experimental crops have been developed in the Anoia area (Catalonia) during a period of extreme drought. Also, a methodology for the selection of wild species targeted to become new crops has been developed, based on agronomic, environmental and economic criteria. The third part (chapter 14) consists in the organoleptic evaluation, through blind tasting sessions, of 77 products elaborated with wild species and local land races. The results have allowed us to determine which species and varieties, and under which preparation, have a high potential to be successfully introduced in a daily diet. Big amounts of traditional knowledge have been documented, belonging to a wide variety of uses, species and varieties. Most of the wild species selected have shown a promising adaptation to the cultivation under minimal agronomic intervention; and the majority of products elaborated with wild species or local land races have been valued at the same level as those most commonly consumed products. These results highlight the importance of these research topics, given the key role they can play in the development of a sustainable agri-food model (at environmental, social, and economic levels). Such model will also be highly resilient to climate change, contribute on the conservation of functional biodiversity of agroecosystems, and favour the recuperation of food security and sovereignty, and the dynamism of the agricultural sector and rural areas