The benefits of exotic food crops cultivated by small-scale growers in the UK

Abstract

Exotic crops—plant species grown in relatively small quantities and not traditionally cultivated in a country or region—are often intimately linked with the ethnic origins of their maintainers and are a principal source of culinary and nutritional diversity for many people. Recognizing that a wealth of exotic crop diversity and associated knowledge is held by small-scale growers in the UK, Garden Organic initiated the Sowing New Seeds project to capture and preserve some of this valuable resource by building a seed collection and knowledge base. To establish a sample of this diversity and knowledge, we undertook a survey at 31 allotment sites in the Midlands region of the UK with the objectives of identifying the exotic crops cultivated, characterizing the demography of those who grow them, understanding their direct use values, and assessing their potential indirect use value for the diversification and improvement of other crops. Results reveal that 26% of the food crops recorded are exotic and that they are grown by people belonging to 13 different ethnic groups. The majority save their own seed, indicating that these crops are performing well in the UK, with grower selection providing the basis for their continuing success. Further, most maintainers swap seed with other growers, indicating that exotic crops are likely to be gradually diversifying in response to different growing conditions—a positive sign for their value for local food security and as national genetic resources with potential for use in crop improvement programs. The research highlights the multitude of benefits that growers obtain through cultivating exotic crops, which are not only related to nutrition and culinary requirements, but also to general health and well-being, culture, and a range of other forms of life enrichment. It is critical that growers are encouraged and supported in continuing to cultivate, save and pass on their exotic crops to younger generations, as well as to protect allotments from development in order to maintain this important diversity adapted to local growing conditions. Importantly, many exotic crops currently grown on a small scale may enter into commerce, and thus expand the diversity of the UK's food crop base. Such a shift may be particularly important in the face of the increasingly detrimental impacts of climate change on crop production. We conclude that exotic crop diversity could be more important for future nutrition, health and food security than we currently appreciate.

Benefits of Non-Commercial Urban Agricultural Practices—A Systematic Literature Review

“…Matrix coding query that summarizes all information obtained in this systematic review and which showed individual authors against the different benefits. Binary system where 1 shows the presence of the benefit and 0 reflects its absence (Source: the authors) [1][2][3][4]6,[8][9][10]13,14,17,23,25,27,28,. Figures 9 and 10 show that only one article mentions that there are no significant social benefits.…”

“…Another form of NCUA are school gardens (SG), which feature vacant land on school sites designed for a range of food education-related agricultural activities involving student participation [10], which are useful for improving children's nutritional outcomes and knowledge [11], making them more willing to try unfamiliar varieties of fruits and vegetables [12]. In addition, SG provide an opportunity to meet and interact with other students in a natural environment, developing social skills, communication, and cooperation [13]. The final form of UA that is evaluated in this study is urban farms (UF), which are considered the main source of income for many urban households [14].…”

“…The most obvious would be to increase access to fresh and healthy products. In addition, NCUA can play an important role in the social integration of less privileged people at risk of social exclusion, contributing to a more sustainable society [13,21].…”

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) for Small-Scale Farms in Developed Economies: Challenges and Opportunities

“…This role of small-scale growers (particularly in relation to the conservation of traditional (‘heirloom’) varieties or locally-adapted land races) is well-documented in developing countries [59,60], but has received less attention in post-industrial economies. However, even in developed countries, many small-scale producers save their own seed, and some immigrant farmers maintain more unusual crops for which local seeds may be hard to find or expensive [61,62]; the latter are therefore also being selected for locally adapted traits that may include resistance to arthropod pests and/or pathogens. In relation to these latter traits, seed saving by small-scale organic producers may be particularly important, since their crops are grown with minimal exposure to pesticides and other synthetic inputs.…”

Extração e purificação de compostos bioativos de cubiu ("Solanum sessiliflorum'), camu-camu ("Myciaria dubia") e araçá-roxo ("Psidium myrtoides") utilizando filtração por membranas com e sem promotores de turbulência

“…e o camu-camu (Myrciaria dubia) e na mata atlantica araçá-roxo (Psidium myrtoides) são bons exemplos de frutas exóticas em Minas Gerais. Alimentos exóticos atuam no crescimento e diversificação econômica trazendo alternativas agrícolas para atender a necessidade de produtos mais saudáveis de maneira regional (Kell et al, 2017).…”