Nearly a quarter of wild vegetable relatives face extinction, study finds
Researchers report that about 24 percent of wild relatives of 79 major vegetable species are at risk of disappearing. The assessment, based on a new global dataset of 1,482 vegetable species, highlights that many local and wild varieties remain undocumented. Experts note that rapid land‑use change, market homogenisation and shifting agricultural priorities are driving the loss, while most species are absent from national and international gene banks. Conservation efforts such as those by Hariyalee Seeds in Bengaluru aim to safeguard heirloom varieties.
Key facts
- Indigenous crops such as clove bean and Yerengere white long eggplant have largely vanished from Indian commercial markets.
- Maarten van Zonneveld leads the gene bank at the International Potato Center in Lima, Peru.
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Why it matters
Loss of vegetable diversity threatens climate‑resilient and nutritious food systems.
What changed
First published from Mongabay