Scientists: save wild veggies to save our diets

An international team of scientists, led in part by researchers at Wageningen University & Research (WUR), is urging governments and funders worldwide to conserve and make better use of vegetable biodiversity, arguing it is key to both healthier diets and more climate-resilient farming.

The call, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), comes as global vegetable consumption sits nearly 40% below levels recommended by the World Health Organization. Low vegetable intake ranks among the five leading dietary risk factors driving the global burden of disease, and more than a third of the world's population cannot afford a healthy diet.

According to the researchers, the problem isn't just how much people eat — it's what's on offer. "Growing more vegetables alone is not enough. We also need to grow a greater diversity of vegetable species," said Professor Eric Schranz, Professor of Biosystematics at WUR. "Much of the vegetable biodiversity we need can still be found in traditional varieties and their wild relatives. We urgently need to safeguard this diversity and connect conservation with breeding, use by farmers and healthier diets as the climate changes."

A hidden wealth of crops

The study identifies more than 1,480 edible vegetable species worldwide — likely an undercount — many of which remain poorly studied despite long histories in local diets and farming systems. Examples highlighted in the research include spider plant in Africa, bitter gourd in Asia, slippery cabbage in the Pacific, and the edible leaves of pumpkin, sweet potato and cowpea. These crops are often rich in vitamins and minerals, better suited to harsh local growing conditions, and deeply embedded in regional food cultures — yet they receive only a fraction of the research and breeding investment given to globally traded vegetables and staple grains.

The analysis draws on the World Food Map, an interactive database tracking the diversity and distribution of edible species globally, co-led by WUR researchers Dr Anna Herforth and Dr Chris Vogliano.

The stakes are rising: studies cited in the paper show sharp declines over the past century in the range of traditional vegetable varieties still cultivated, while nearly a quarter of assessed wild relatives of major vegetable crops are now threatened with extinction. Those wild relatives matter because they carry genetic traits — resistance to heat, drought, pests and disease — that breeders can use to develop hardier crops as the climate changes.

"Vegetables are, of course, one of the most important parts of a healthy diet," said co-author Dr Herforth. "But people tend to drop vegetables if they are too expensive or inaccessible. We need to tap into greater biodiversity so that everyone can access the food they need, and retain rich cultural culinary traditions."

From seed banks to dinner plates

The authors stress that conservation alone won't solve the problem. Genebanks such as the Centre for Genetic Resources, the Netherlands (CGN) help protect seeds from permanent loss, but the researchers argue that diverse vegetables also need to be actively bred, grown, marketed and eaten — meaning conservation and use must advance together.

The paper sets out four priorities for policymakers, funders and researchers: rescue and restore traditional vegetable varieties and their wild relatives; expand research and breeding to unlock their genetic potential; boost production and consumption of a wider range of vegetables; and embed vegetable biodiversity into agricultural, health, education and climate policy.

The research brought together scientists representing the World Vegetable Center, the Crop Trust, the International Potato Center, the Centre for Pacific Crops and Trees, WUR, the International Center for Tropical Agriculture, the Food Security Leadership Council, the New York Botanical Garden and the CGIAR Genebank Accelerator.

Taken together, the authors argue, these steps could shift vegetable biodiversity from a neglected resource into a central pillar of strategies to improve global nutrition and build food systems resilient to a warming climate.