Brazilian Flora: Food and Nutritional Security Allied to Biodiversity Preservation

Abstract

The current food system is negatively impacting the environment and, as contradictory as this may be, people's health. The ultra-processed industry and the demand for agricultural foods are contributing to the increase in diseases and the loss of biodiversity in Brazil, agricultural frontiers continue to advance across Brazilian biomes. While we prioritize a few foods, we are losing an immense wealth of nutritional diversity, which are the foods from the forests themselves. Today these foods are called unconventional food plants, as they are not commonly used. When we notice the importance of these foods for food and nutritional security, for income generation, and for the conservation of biodiversity, deforestation to establish monocultures of a few foods will make even less sense. The respondents to this study demonstrated knowledge of environmental issues involving the large Brazilian food chain, but not about foods from forests. This demonstrates that research, dissemination, and public policies are needed to encourage the collection, production and consumption of these foods. Always focusing on preserving biodiversity, removing only what will not impact the local fauna and flora.

Key Words: PANC. Food. Preservation. Biodiversity. Climate change.