Edible Wild Plants and Fungi – Resources to Explore, Preserve, and Value

Edible wild plants and fungi have been used by human communities since historical times and are some of the first cropped species. In developed countries, the practice of using wild edible species has largely been abandoned, but there is currently an increasing trend to revalue them. Conversely, in less developed regions, the harvesting and use of wild plants and mushrooms remain a current practice, and a number of species are also marketed and have large socio-economic importance.

In a time marked by climate change, overexploitation of natural resources, increasing global population, and food insecurity, knowledge of the potential availability of natural resources, their valorization, and sustainable use are important at all levels.

Thus, research on the theme of edible wild species and fungi can make an important contribution to the knowledge of the potential and valorization of these useful species, to food security, and to income generation through the exploration of non-wood forest products.

Useful plants and fungi have the potential to satisfy the basic needs of populations for food, medicine, and phytochemicals, among other uses, and possibly represent the largest ecosystem provision service used by rural communities. Hundreds of lesser-known indigenous species gathered from the wild contribute to food security and play vital roles in human nutrition, particularly in rural areas.

A large diversity of plants and fungi are used by rural communities, namely fruits, leaves, and tubers from herbs, shrubs, vines, and trees, as well as mushrooms. Several species are undergoing domestication or are protected by locals, such as some species of fruiting trees and palms.

Some wild and semi-cultivated species are traded in local and city markets but only a few of them have acquired economic importance. Many of these plants are important components in agroforestry systems and must be used in the sustainable intensification of crop production.

Many traditional foods have been associated with functional properties that can prevent or treat a wide variety of ailments, have great potential to fight malnutrition and deficiencies, and also help to prevent health conditions. The chemical exploration of matrices from plants and fungi for their nutritional and functional properties and the identification of molecules responsible for reported effects is a matter of increasing research attention.

However, wild plants and fungi have received little research attention or extension activities, remaining largely neglected by mainstream international science. Also, the taxonomy of species, cultivars, and landraces of edible plants and fungi is often uncertain and there is a requirement for clear identification of taxa with scientific names, local names, and voucher samples.

This Research Topic intends to gather contributions to enlighten the present and potential importance of wild edible plants and fungi as a natural resource to be explored, valued, and preserved.

Contributions on a wide range of subjects related to the role of wild plant and mushroom species to food security are welcome for submission to this Research Topic, such as:
• Functional properties of wild edible species;
• Chemical composition: nutrients, beneficial bioactive non-nutrients, and toxins
• Conservation status of intensively harvested species;
• Crop wild relatives for food security;
• Suitable species for agroforestry systems and domestication;
• Food processing systems for wild edible species;
• Market chains and economical importance from local to national scales;
• Potential of edible wild species to increase the food security of rural communities;
• Traditional food systems of indigenous peoples;
• Local varieties and landraces of common species.