Contribution of pollinators to production and reproduction of neglected and underutilized food species in family farming systems in Patagonia

Abstract

Many of the species used in family farming systems (FFS) inPatagonia belong to the group known as neglected andunderutilized species (NUS), which promote bioculturaldiversity and contribute to food sovereignty. Due to thescarce attention paid to NUS by agronomic sciences, littleis known about their biotic pollination, although it isa well-studied aspect for commercially important plants.We evaluate the contribution of animal pollination to NUSmanaged by Patagonian FFS. We present a literature reviewof the NUS used and aspects related to their pollinationand floral visitors, for which 725 papers were reviewed. FFSuse 426 NUS (414 angiosperms, 10 gymnosperms and 2ferns). Most NUS (86.7%) depend to some extent on animalpollination, either for the production of fruits or seeds thatare harvested for consumption (direct dependence, 35%) orfor obtaining seeds (indirect dependence, 65%), which inmany cases are necessary for reseeding. Gathering andcultivation are the most common management practicesfor these species. Hymenoptera and Diptera are the animalsthat contribute most to NUS biotic pollination. Ourresults show that animal pollination is a key contribution ofnature to sustain cultural aspects and food sovereignty ofFFS in Patagonia.