Regional Symposium on
Promotion of Underutilized Indigenous Food Resources for Food Security and Nutrition
in Asia and the Pacific

31 May to 2 June 2012
Khon Kaen, Thailand

Objectives

The objectives of the regional symposium are to:

1. raise awareness about the role and value of underutilized indigenous food resources on dietary diversity and household food security;
2. share experiences and lessons learned for the promotion of partnerships and networking among stakeholders at all levels; and 
3. identify policy options and strategic actions for the promotion of underutilized indigenous food resources in Asia and the Pacific region, including evidence-based research.

The discussions focus on indigenous plants and animals including those from the wild collected from uncultivated land, forest and aquatic environments.

Concept Note

Agenda

Keynote addresses

• Indigenous food of Asia
• AVRDC and the diversity for development alliance is fostering a revolution in diets for good health!
• Promoting traditional food systems for better nutrition and the bioversity international’s nutrition strategy
• Promoting food diversity and sustainable diets
• Challenging the conventional wisdom on underutilised species
• Inedible or incredible? Asia-Pacific forests for improved nutrition and food security
• Achieving household food security by producing vegetable through sprouting and aquaponic

Presentaions

Session IA

• Contribution of indigenous plants collected from uncultivated lands and forests in Nepalese diet
• Medicinal use and commercial potential of indigenous herbs and plants in Thailand: Case study on herbs for memory
• Edible wild plants of Bhutan and their contribution to food and nutrition security - part 1
• Edible wild plants of Bhutan and their contribution to food and nutrition security - part 2
• Indigenous food sources for food security and nutrition in Mongolia - part 1
• Indigenous food sources for food security and nutrition in Mongolia - part 2
• Culture and utilization of selected indigenous vegetables and menus generated using indigenous vegetables in selected regions in the Philippines
• Promoting underutilized indigenous vegetables for high-end food from local to global
• Strategies to explore, document, validate and check traditional knowledge erosion on wild edibles: Learning and lessons from Adi Tribe of Arunachal Pradesh, India.

Session IB

• Title importance of recording local knowledge about edible insects in Australia
• Food-use of insects in livelihood and its regional distribution in Japan
• Edible tarantulas and crickets in Cambodia: informal market and potential contribution to rural livelihood
• Promotion of micronutrient-rich small fish for food security and improved nutrition of households in Bangladesh and South Asia
• Rusa deer as a new potential livestock in southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia

Session IIA

• Sustainable production of Sago palm and its u1lization for strengthening food security
• Fundamental study on bioethanol production from Sago extraction residue using microbial conversion
• Sago porridge staple food in Indonesia
• Traditional management and utilization of Sago palm in Trang province, Thailand
• Adding value to underutilized food resources: substituting wheat flour with Sago starch in cookie formulations
• A comparative study of rice cake culture among hill tribes in northern Thailand

Session IIB

• Common foods from wild ingredients in northeast region of Thailand:  Kalasin province
• Home gardens: Cultivating staple crops for the future
• Pili: A promising indigenous crop of the Bicol region in the Philippines for food and nutrition
• Farming insects for food in Thailand
• Promotion of underutilized indigenous food resources for food security and nutrition in Asia and the Pacific
• Commodity chain analysis for wild mushrooms

Session III

• Research on advanced application of indigenous food resources  for rural livelihood improvement
• Saving traditional ecological knowledge for future food security: Its mechanism and contribution
• Utilization of edible wild plants and rural village development
• Indigenous wisdom for agro-biodiversity,  food security and climate change

Working group

• Indigenous plant from the wild
• Farmed indigenous plant and animal resources

List of participants

Media outreach

• Forgotten foods – stemming the tide of neglect
• 'Forgotten foods' can be an important tool to fight hunger, FAO and scientists say
• Tout est bon dans le grillon