Utilizing Neglected Crop Genetic Resources for Food and Nutritional Security: Special Reference to Indigenous Vegetables of Sri Lanka

The importance of indigenous vegetable crops (IVs) in today’s diet and farming systems is becoming increasingly recognized due to several reasons. These crops play a significant role in food, nutritional, and health security of the underprivileged people in both urban and rural areas, especially for people living in Asia. Most households use them as primary foods or secondary condiments to dishes prepared from domestic varieties. They are valuable sources of many essential micronutrients including vitamins C and K, folate, thiamine, carotenes, several minerals, and dietary fiber which contribute to the diets of the rural people in the past and in some areas continue to the present day. Many of these IVs are also used in traditional medicine. They are not subjected to conventional agronomic studies, often being cultivated in small patches in domestic gardens or growing as weeds in marginal areas within farms or wild in forests. However, they can be effectively utilized in different cropping systems, diversification programs, and other farming systems, while generating substantial employment opportunities for rural peoples. Though they possess multitude benefits and immense potential to be developed as future crops, sufficient studies have not been conducted yet. Therefore, as an initial step, this article will provide a comprehensive overview on taxonomic diversity, geographical distribution, conservation status, different uses, chemical and medicinal properties, current production status, constraints in cultivation, research and development needs, and future prospects of indigenous vegetables with special reference to Sri Lanka aiming for bringing IVs back to the plate in Sri Lanka.