3 results
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2. Diversity and use of wild and noncultivated edible plants in the Western Himalaya.
- Author
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Aryal, Kamal Prasad, Poudel, Sushmita, Chaudhary, Ram Prasad, Chettri, Nakul, Chaudhary, Pashupati, Ning, Wu, and Kotru, Rajan
- Subjects
GASTROINTESTINAL disease treatment ,AGRICULTURE ,BUSINESS ,CULTURE ,FOCUS groups ,FOOD ,FRUIT ,INTERVIEWING ,MEDICINE ,EDIBLE plants ,RESEARCH funding ,RITES & ceremonies ,GENDER role ,SPICES ,VEGETABLES ,FOOD security ,DESCRIPTIVE statistics - Abstract
Background: Local people in the Himalayan region use a wide range of wild and non-cultivated edible plants (WNEPs) for food, spice, medicinal, and cultural purposes. However, their availability, use, status and contribution to livelihood security are poorly documented, and they have been generally overlooked in recent agro-biodiversity conservation and management programmes. The study aimed to investigate WNEP diversity and current status in a part of the Kailash Sacred Landscape--a transboundary landscape shared by Nepal, India and PR China--in terms of collection, use, management and conservation initiatives. Methods: Multiple methodologies and tools were used for data collection. A series of participatory tools (45 key informant interviews, 10 focus group discussions, a crop diversity fair, direct observation of species through a transect walk and rapid market assessments) was followed by a household survey (195 respondents) and complemented by a literature review. Results: The study recorded 99 WNEPs belonging to 59 families of which 96 were angiosperms, one gymnosperm and two pteridophytes. Species were used for food, spice, medicine, rituals and income generation. Thirty-five species had multiple uses, including these: 40 species were used for fruit and 31 for vegetables. WNEPs contribute significantly to daily food requirements, especially the vegetables. The use value of Dryopteris cochleata was found highest (0.98) among frequently used vegetable species. The values of informant consensus factor were found maximum for worms in the stomach (0.99) and minimum for skin disease treatment (0.67). Nearly 85% of households depended exclusively on WNEPs for at least more than a month per year. Results on the importance and use of different species, gender roles in WNEP activities and conservation approaches are presented. Conclusions: People living in the Kailash Sacred Landscape depend significantly on WNEPs, and this is especially critical in times of food shortage. The WNEPs have considerable potential as an important supplement to cultivated food crops. Farmers prioritise species with multiple use values and popular vegetables. However, there are numerous challenges and interventions needed to ensure conservation and management of species and their continued availability to support food security and local livelihoods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2018
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
3. Biotech Firms, Biotech Politics: Negotiating GMOs in India.
- Author
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Newell, Peter
- Subjects
BIOTECHNOLOGY ,AGRICULTURE ,MEDICAL technology ,AGRICULTURAL technology ,MEDICAL innovations ,CHEMICAL engineering ,TECHNOLOGICAL innovations ,TECHNOLOGY - Abstract
This article identifies and explains the ways in which firms involved in the debate about the role of biotechnology in Indian agriculture have sought to advance their interests. It argues that the public positions of larger biotech and agro-chemical companies, seed enterprises, and newer start-up firms and the associations to which they belong relate to the differences in their underlying corporate strategies. The extent to which these firms are involved in primary research, export their products, or require protection for their products helps to determine their political affiliations to the leading industry bodies that are active on biotechnology issues. In turn, each of these associations has been shown to have distinct patterns of interaction with particular government agencies involved in the regulation of biotechnology products, as well as differing degrees of contact with global industry coalitions. Through a combination of material influences, in most cases high levels of institutional access, and in a context in which claims about the benefits of biotechnology are echoed and repeated in influential media, industry has played an important role in the evolving regulatory regime. These forms of leverage apply to some firms more than others and smaller actors in the vast seed sector in India are barely involved directly in the current debate about India's "gene revolution." Currently, the policy agenda in Delhi appears to be far more influenced by a fairly close-knit policy network of biotech entrepreneurs from larger multinationals and successful start-up firms with good national and global connections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2007
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
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