Food ethnobotany of forest resource in the high-altitude Himalaya Mountains: Enhancing the food sovereignty of ethnic groups

Abstract

The vital knowledge of traditional foraging techniques used in indigenous peoples' cuisines may be preserved through gastronomical field studies before it is lost forever. Certain plants are appreciated for their gastronomic, social, economic and ecological importance in the High Himalaya because they play such a significant role in the daily life of the local indigenous populations. To determine the plant cultural indicators for each ethnic group, the data were analyzed using an indicator species analysis. Semi-structured interviews of 167 participants, focus group discussion, and field observations were used to gather information from February 2019 to August 2022 for a comprehensive and systematic gastronomical survey. Across four ethnic groups, a total of (N = 99) wild edible plant species and (N = 9) fungi species from 38 families were documented. Tender leaves were the most commonly used, while tubers were the least commonly used. The majority of the species reported were used as vegetables, followed by species used as fruits and herbal tea. For the first time, we examined cross-cultural similarity and dissimilarity for gastronomic usage: vegetables and savoring plants,fruits, and herbal tea across the cultures studied from the perspective of food ethnobotany. We discovered a clear difference in how different cultures used forest resources, with Gujjar and Pahari showing the most species similarity. This is because these ethic groups are culturally linked with one another and share a common social structure, geography, and language. We calculated plant cultural markers for each species, and 19 of them had significant p-values among the four ethnic groups. The findings revealed a positive relationship between the Gujjar and Pahari ethnic groups and the gastronomical indicator values, while the Kashmiri ethnic group had a negative relationship. The Kashmiri ethnic group experienced the loss of traditional knowledge because of the economic transition that caused people to prefer purchasing vegetables from the market rather than foraging for them in the wild. Traditional knowledge was also dwindling between the Gujjar and Pahari ethnic groups because of social changes brought on by developmental activities that changed their way of life. The identified plant cultural markers were significant to local residents and frequently had adaptations to extremely harsh climatic and environmental conditions. Our finding that 47% of species had market value suggests that these species have a sizable market demand and a promising economic value. They have the potential to boost food security, local community sovereignty, and people's living standards. Food production systems may become more resilient and sustainable by incorporating these indicator species into conventional agriculture. The current study raises awareness about forest resources and enables ethnic groups to live in a natural environment without food scarcity.