A Systematic Review on the Contributions of Edible Plant and Animal Biodiversity to Human Diets

Abstract

The sustainable use of natural and agricultural biodiversity in the diet can be instrumental to preserve existing food biodiversity, address malnutrition, and mitigate adverse effects of dietary changes worldwide. This systematic review of literature summarizes the current evidence on the contribution of plant and animal biodiversity to human diets in terms of energy intake, micronutrient intake, and dietary diversification. Peer-reviewed studies were searched in ten databases using pre-defined search terms. Only original studies assessing food biodiversity and dietary intake were included, resulting in a total of 34 studies. 7, 14, and 17 studies reported information in relation to energy intake, micronutrient intake, and dietary diversification, respectively. In general, locally available foods were found to be important sources of energy, micronutrients, and dietary diversification in the diet of particularly rural and forest communities of highly biodiverse ecosystems. The current evidence shows local food biodiversity as important contributor of nutritious diets. Findings are, however, limited to populations living in highly biodiverse areas. Research on the contribution of biodiversity in diets of industrialized and urban settings needs more attention. Instruments are needed that would more appropriately measure the dietary contribution of local biodiversity.

Genetic diversity, population structure, and traditional culture of Camellia reticulata

“…Previous studies have acknowledged the role of traditional knowledge and culture practices of smallholder farmers and indigenous communities for biodiversity conservation at the species, genetic, ecosystem, and landscape levels (Altieri, 2004). Many traditional management practices, customs, and beliefs have been reported to contribute to biodiversity protection including seed exchange systems (Labeyrie, Thomas, Muthamia, & Leclerc, 2016), marriage exchanges (Delêtre, McKey, & Hodkinson, 2011), religious rituals (Mazumdar & Mazumdar, 2012), and dietary traditions (Penafiel, Lachat, Espinel, Van Damme, & Kolsteren, 2011). These practices, customs, and beliefs have been linked to preserving crop landraces (Jackson, Pascual, & Hodgkin, 2007), old trees (Salick et al., 2007), and economic plants (Liu et al., 2014) including those with esthetic, food, and medicinal values (Begum et al., 2014).…”

Dietary contribution of Wild Edible Plants to women’s diets in the buffer zone around the Lama forest, Benin – an underutilized potential

“…However, studies actually quantifying the contributions of WEPs to diets are scattered and use different methodologies, making comparisons difficult. Few studies have assessed the real contribution of WEPs to energy and nutrient intake by thorough dietary assessment methods (Grivetti and Ogle 2000;Penafiel et al 2011;Mavengahama et al 2013;Powell et al 2013). They include those by Ogle et al (2001a-c) in Vietnam, Termote et al (2012) in DR Congo and Powell et al (2013) in Tanzania but the authors arrive at divergent results and conclusions.…”

Contribution of forest foods to dietary intake and their association with household food insecurity: a cross-sectional study in women from rural Cameroon

“…Studies indicate that assessing the intake of traditional, wild or forest foods could successfully reveal how the consumption of locally available foods is related to the well-being of communities (8) . Despite the underutilization and neglect of forest foods, studies indicate that these foods can enrich household diets, providing essential nutrients and bioactive compounds that can prevent undernutrition and coronary diseases, and provide sources of income for millions of people (1,(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15) . These foods also act as a safety net during times of shortage of other foods (16) .…”