24 February 2025—The Wild Foods in Asia Expert Group held its Inception Meeting and has marked the official launch of the collaboration between Non-Timber Forest Products – Exchange Programme (NTFP-EP) and the Swedish International Agricultural Network Initiative (SIANI). Learn more

Experts and practitioners from the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, India, which are all strategically collaborating within and beyond the NTFP-EP network, are present in the inception meeting. Representatives from the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation (SSNC) and SIANI also participated in the conversation. This convening of experts from South and Southeast Asia set the stage for upcoming research, documentation, and knowledge-sharing efforts on wild foods and traditional crops. Discussions covered the scope of the project, logistical preparations, and plans for village-level activities in India, Vietnam, and the Philippines.

About Wild Foods in Asia  

Wild Foods in Asia champions the role of wild forest foods and traditional crops in ensuring food security. For generations, rural and Indigenous communities across Asia have cultivated deep knowledge of these food systems—but this expertise is rapidly fading. To counter this loss, the group unites local communities and experts to document key food species and explore ways to revitalize and share this invaluable knowledge.

About the Inception Meeting 

Femy Pinto, Executive Director of NTFP-EP Asia, kick-started the meeting with a brief introduction of all participants and then drew attention to the role of wild foods in food security and biodiversity conservation, especially for Indigenous Peoples local communities (IPs&LCs). “[Indigenous Food and Health] is one of the main thematic areas tackled by NTFP-EP, mainly because we see that wild foods is an essential non-timber forest product (NTFP),” Pinto said, “and it is [important] as well to the lives of forest-dependent peoples in which the network is very much focused on supporting and promoting,” she added.  

The discussion also highlighted the declining availability of wild food species due to deforestation, climate change, and shifting consumption patterns, despite the existence of thousands of edible plants beyond staple crops like rice, maize, and wheat. The need for ethical engagement in research and policy advocacy, particularly on the importance of respecting cultural traditions that prohibit the consumption of certain wild foods and traditional crops, is also underscored in the conversation. 

The meeting also addressed challenges stemming from deforestation, driven by the growing interest in mass production and commercialization of wild foods and traditional crops. “For us here in Borneo, Sabah, and Sarawak, Malaysia, wild food remains an integral part of the Indigenous community’s diet, but we are also facing similar issues due to deforestation,” shared Anne Lasimbang of PACOS Trust. In Sabah, Lasimbang also noted that PACOS Trust is engaged in documentation of important forests foods and setting up food gardens with a demonstration in community learning centers both for Indigenous communities to access food and a space for learning and teaching children in communities.  

Likewise, Nuning Barwa of NTFP-EP Indonesia reflected on the importance of protection of the proprietary rights of Indigenous and local communities of knowledge and practice about wild foods and traditional crops—critical ingredients and raw materials in the health and beauty and lifestyle sectors. 

Building on Progress 

One of the key initiatives introduced was the establishment of Adukkam Resource Centre and Wild Food Nursery in India, which serves as a hub for knowledge exchange and sustainable food practices. Madhu Ramnath, Country Coordinator of NTFP-EP India, underscored that, “the goal is to create a living repository of traditional food knowledge, where communities can document and share their insights.” Additionally, the team is developing household survey tools and seasonal food calendars to better understand wild food consumption patterns in different regions. 

Dr. Ramon Razal, Professor Emeritus from the University of the Philippines – Los Baños, highlighted efforts to document wild food consumption through the “household food frequency questionnaire,” which helps determine which of the wild foods are part of the diet are being over consumed and which ones are under consumed. He emphasized the importance of integrating these foods into the “FNRI [Food and Nutrition Research Institute] food catalog,” which provides nutritional information on listed species.

Dr. Razal’s research on wild food literature in the Philippines traced documentation as far back as 1904 and as recent as 2020, revealing a long-standing effort to promote a better appreciation for wild foods. However, he noted that current initiatives closely resemble past efforts and questioned, “what is it that they were doing differently” and whether past shortcomings are being repeated. He urged a critical reassessment of our methods and advocacy to avoid repeating mistakes and to ensure a more effective and lasting impact.

The Path Ahead 

As the project moves forward, baseline surveys and participatory research activities will begin. The expert group remains committed to fostering knowledge exchange and strengthening Indigenous food systems through collaborative efforts. This baseline survey will be conducted in two villages in India—one where wild foods and traditional crops are readily available and consumed, and another where their presence and knowledge are more limited, which would be validated through the survey. Beyond data collection, the process is expected to open discussions about the status of wild foods and traditional crops and encourage village-level participation.

Pinto emphasized that this phase, running from February to May, will engage extensively with the community at the village level, leading to potential initiatives such as a nursery to be developed or a demonstration plot to enhance local food systems. Likewise, community engagement activities like food festivals, games with the youth, or interactions with the local school could further strengthen interest and awareness about wild foods. Ramnath of NTFP-EP India aspires that the project’s field-level initiatives will bear meaningful impact that can strengthen the network’s advocacy effort, especially with focus on Indigenous food and health. 

On top of that, a study on Dioscorea, a genus of over 600 plant species from the Dioscoreaceae family, commonly found in tropical and temperate regions, will be carried out in Vietnam and will be closely linked to India’s ongoing research in this field. 

Moreover, Olivia Melendrez of NTFP-EP Philippines saw the project as “an opportunity to continue our work [in Quezon Province].” She stressed that there will be no problem in implementation and highlighted that this initiative would support our documentation work and other interventions on wild food and traditional crops. Learn more

Wild Foods in Asia is coordinated by the Non-Timber Forest Products Exchange Programme Asia (NTFP-EP Asia), this initiative is backed by a network of 30 members and 125 partner organizations. Together, they empower forest communities in Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam to sustain and protect their natural resources.