For Indigenous communities across Asia, wild food species and traditional crops are more than just sustenance—they are a living weather station, a classroom, a pharmacy, and a cultural heritage all in one. As we shift toward commercialized food systems, we aren’t just losing species like yams, tubers, and millets; we are losing the taste for our own resilience.
SIANI expert group on Wild foods in Asia and the Indigenous-Led Education (ILED) Network recently held regional exchange, “Voices from Asia: Elevating Champions for Wild Foods and Traditional Crops,” revealed a sobering reality. There is about one decade to bridge the gap between the eroding ancestral wisdom and the growing taste divide before these knowledge systems are permanently lost.
To meet this challenge, this webinar was organized to share the integration of action research and community-led education and foster long-term food sovereignty. Through amplifying the voices of elders, women, and youth, the event highlighted diverse pathways for protecting traditional biological resources while championing the educational strategies needed to keep them alive.
A version of this article was first published on ntfp.org and is reproduced here with permission.
Watch the recording: