Edible exotic weeds for food security and food sovereignty in NW Patagonia.

Abstract

Neglected and Underutilized Species (NUS) include wild, domesticated, or semidomesticated plants that play an important role in improving people?s livelihoods, food security, and sovereignty of local communities. In particular, the use of wild plants, both native and exotic, has been recognized as a key component in mitigating climate change and loss of biocultural diversity. NUS are abundant in Patagonia and offer potential for food with minimal environmental impacts. Nevertheless, human populations, especially urban ones, are unaware of or do not take advantage of the food use of these plants in this region. In this study, we summarize ethnobotanical studies aimed at including edible weeds in local food diets in Northwestern Patagonia. We account for the cultural importance of weeds as a food resource for Patagonian Indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLCs). Further, we analyze the perceptions of farmers about edible weeds as a food resource after participatory workshops designed to encourage their use. In total, we found about 40 edible weeds in use which provide staple or complementary foods. We conclude that from the resilience framework and considering the social and environmental changes that IPLCs face in Patagonia, the use of increasingly abundant weeds in the region for food could be a key adaptive response.