Green leafy vegetables from two traditional agro-ecosystems of Peninsular India - their documentation and relevance

Two distinct agro-ecosystems viz., peri-urban and tribal were surveyed for collection of diversity in green leafy vegetables (GLVs). The survey resulted in the collection and documentation of germplasm of 85 accessions of cultivated and uncultivated GLVs that are in use in the two agro-ecosystems. The traditional farming practices of GLVs in the two agro-ecosytems were compared for understanding the factors influencing the cultivation practices. The agro-ecosytem in the tribal belt benefitted with the buffer food and nutritional security from uncultivated edible plant species. The indigenous traditional knowledge (ITK) associated with such uncultivated species was documented for scientific validation. The study reckons that there is an urgent need to diversify the GLV species under cultivation in the peri-urban region for food and nutritional security by exploring the three tier model that exists in the tribal niches for harnessing potential uncultivated plant species as GLVs in all kinds of situations.