Native vegetables promoted for cultivation by the Agricultural Research Institute, winning praise and acclaim at APEC

As extreme weather brings food disasters to regions around the world, native vegetables that suit local ecosystems and offer high nutritional value are standing out.

The Agricultural Research Institute (ARI) of the Council of Agriculture proposed the project "Native Vegetables in Response to Climate Change and Food Security" at this year's APEC meeting, and after rigorous review under the APEC program, it received funding. Last week (the 21st to 24th), the "2011 APEC Workshop on Cooperative Development of Native Vegetables in Response to Climate Change and Food Security" was held in Taichung, drawing nods of approval from senior officials and scholars from 14 APEC member economies, who agreed it should be actively promoted. Yesterday (the 29th), the ARI took it a step further, using a field tour to introduce the value of native vegetables to people in Taiwan, China.

The ARI held a native vegetable field tour to introduce the benefits of native vegetables to people in Taiwan, China.

The Fengshan Tropical Horticultural Experiment Branch and the Siluo Township Farmers' Association commissioned farmers to grow native vegetables in fields, organizing them by function into 7 themes: moisture-tolerant, salt-tolerant, heat-tolerant, high-nutrition, drought-tolerant, shade-tolerant, and cold-tolerant, with 3 core crops listed under each theme. At yesterday's field tour, representatives from the Fengshan Tropical Horticultural Experiment Branch introduced the characteristics and nutrition of native vegetables, and later a banquet was held at the Siluo Township Farmers' Association to taste dishes cooked with native vegetables such as purslane, feather cockscomb, equatorial primrose, and garland chrysanthemum.

The farmer in this collaboration, Liao Junkai, grows 24 kinds of native vegetables in his own garden. After several months of growing native vegetables, he has felt their advantages: they not only need little care, but also have high nutritional value. Pointing to the materials provided by the ARI, he said, "You can tell just by looking at the nutrient composition table!" He especially praised purslane, saying that in Europe and America, after eating truffles, people always have a dish of purslane.

In the future, land salinization caused by drought, desertification, and seawater intrusion will make most vegetables unable to grow, but it will not affect the growth of purslane, feather cockscomb, and African kale. Purslane, commonly known as "pig's milk," has a crisp texture with a slight stickiness, and it won considerable praise from attendees at the tasting event.

Wang Santai, head of the Vegetable Section at the Fengshan Tropical Horticultural Experiment Branch, said that purslane's tough growth habit makes its tender stems and leaves suitable for eating. It was once the food that kept Wang Baochuan alive during her years of hardship, and it is not only full of vitality but also rich in polyunsaturated linolenic acid. Compared with cabbage, it is higher in iron, magnesium, and vitamin A.

Besides the dishes displayed at the tasting event, Liao Junkai's mother said that moringa is a perfect plant. Native to India, moringa has high nutritional value, and almost the entire plant can be used. Amaranth and water spinach are among the few vegetables even babies can eat; even when flooded, water bamboo can still survive and feed people.

In earlier times in Taiwan, China, although some native vegetables had strong stress tolerance (insect resistance, drought resistance, high-temperature resistance, etc.), they were gradually eliminated from the market because their taste was slightly less appealing. Facing the threat of climate change, these varieties now have a chance to make a comeback. Liao Junkai hopes to continue growing these native vegetables, but sales channels make him hesitate.

In fact, many vendors were invited to this field tour precisely in the hope of generating resonance. Wang Santai said that whether for responding to climate change or from the perspective of public health, native vegetables are worth promoting. People in Taiwan, China do not have a problem with malnutrition; they pursue good taste, so in the future the ARI will also work on cooking methods, so that people can eat native vegetables that are healthy, nutritious, and delicious.

Amaranth, which even babies can eat and which is full of nutrients.

Natural is best: native vegetables shine under harsh climates

Wang Santai said that native vegetables are edible plants that either formed naturally in a specific region or were introduced from other regions and domesticated. Some have already been cultivated as vegetable crops, while others remain in a semi-wild state, such as bird's-nest fern, bitter gourd, okra, sweet potato leaves, and Chinese toon, all of which can be seen in vegetable markets.

Qiu Jinchun, assistant researcher in the Vegetable Section, said that the characteristics of native vegetables also include not being artificially selected species, being suitable for extensive cultivation, and not having undergone excessive improvement. They usually have stress tolerance and high nutritional value. Therefore, the native vegetables introduced this time also include species imported from India and Japan.

As climate change intensifies and impacts food security, native vegetables with stronger environmental adaptability appear even more important and special. Wang Santai stressed that native vegetables can survive under various climatic conditions. He gave water spinach and amaranth as examples, saying they can still survive at a high temperature of 40°C. But cabbage, which the public loves, is instead not tolerant of extreme heat.

The Fengshan Tropical Horticultural Experiment Branch pointed out that native vegetables can not only respond to the ecological changes caused by future climate change, but their high-nutrition characteristics can also improve nutritional imbalance among modern people and nutritional deficiency in poor countries, as well as reduce the chance of many degenerative diseases, helping to improve public health.

Wang Santai cited research by Mochizuki Ryu, director of the Japanese Wild Vegetable and Tea Research Institute, noting that Okinawa's average life expectancy is higher than that of the Japanese mainland, which is related to the local consumption of a diverse range of locally produced native vegetables.

Taiwan, China does not have a problem with nutritional deficiency, but in poor countries, the difficulty of growing ordinary vegetables and their high prices cause nutritional deficiency. The Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center specifically pointed out that poor regions are prone to deficiency in vitamin E and iron, and climate change will make nutritional deficiency even more serious. Therefore, under extreme climate conditions, seeking to supplement nutrients with vegetables has become a matter of survival. (Also published at the Environmental Information Center)

Purslane, commonly known as pig's milk, can grow in highly salinized land and is rich in vitamin A, iron, and linolenic acid.

The tender shoots of equatorial primrose are rich in nutrients and easy to grow in hot tropical regions, with the potential to diversify cultivation systems and vegetable consumption patterns. In summer and typhoon season, when vegetables are in short supply, equatorial primrose will be a good choice.