Cultivation Potential of Vanilla Crop Wild Relatives in Two Contrasting Land Use Systems

Plant reproduction research in Latin America: Toward sustainable agriculture in a changing environment

“…Plant reproduction research into native crops must be expanded to guarantee food security well into the future, especially in terms of fair and open seed management and distribution among farmers (García‐López et al., 2019). The study of agricultural biodiversity may also pave the way for crops with new and exciting traits, as seen with native Vanilla species (Watteyn et al., 2023). Finally, plant and agricultural research in Latin America may have a positive multiplying role in growth of purchasing power, nourishment of rural children, and social stability (Pawlak & Kołodziejczak, 2020).…”

“…It is also the home of many of the world's most important crops owing to millennia of plant breeding by the cultures of Mexico, Central America, and the Andes (Gepts, 2010). Some of the crops are well known, such as maize (Guzzon et al., 2021), common bean (Rendón‐Anaya et al., 2017), potatoes (Fajardo‐Escoffié, 2022), tomatoes (Razifard et al., 2020), avocado (Rendón‐Anaya et al., 2019), papaya (Yue et al., 2022), cacao (Bolaños‐Villegas & Argüello‐Miranda, 2019), and vanilla (Watteyn et al., 2023). Others are less well known but still important in terms of food security and cultural identity for local communities.…”