Biodiversity is under increasing pressure across the globe – in large part driven by the human footprint on nature and associated ecosystems. Urban sprawl, the expansion of agricultural lands and mining push indigenous plant species into smaller fragments of intact habitat, which increases the risk of extinction.

The fight to preserve these last remaining pockets of habitat is well known to BotSoc members involved in our conservation projects across the country. But a lesser known yet all-too-similar conflict is happening in our own homes: the fight to keep indigenous biodiversity on our plates.

Agriculture and the Green Revolution

Agriculture is, of course, essential for feeding a growing global population. It also provides fibres, construction materials, fuel and many chemical precursors of important medicines, pigments and other products.

But conventional agriculture poses one of the biggest threats to wild plant species with the largest land footprint of any human-driven activity. Livestock grazing and the cultivation of croplands account for 24.6% and 12.5% of the world’s land surface, respectively.

The 20th century was characterised by the Green Revolution, which saw rapid advances in the development of agricultural tools and technologies, like high-yielding cultivars, petrochemical-based fertilisers, large-scale mechanisation and intensified cropping practices. These advances led to unprecedented yield increases of certain crop species across the globe, often existing in monoculture (growing single crop species). Today more food is produced per unit land area than at any other point in history.

However, despite these gains in primary production, the initial goal at the centre of the Green Revolution – namely to end hunger on a global scale – remains largely unmet.

A landrace is a distinct variety of domesticated plant or animal that has adapted over time to its natural and cultural environment. This happens through isolation from other populations of the species, and typically results in organisms that are very well adapted to local conditions – particularly in harsh environments where other cultivars may struggle to survive.

Today six of the world’s 400 000 plant species account for 57% of primary crop production (around 9.5 billion tonnes in total) in conventional agriculture.

If we’re to ensure equal access to healthy and diverse food options, we need to critically rethink the structure of the current agro-food system. That means looking beyond the narrow species framework of the first Green Revolution and asking, ‘How does today’s meal matter for future food security?’

The first-of-its-kind dinner offered a unique opportunity for BotSoc members to taste a wide variety of edible and largely indigenous plant species in a formal dining setting. It also served as a novel educational experience for the undergraduate students working in the kitchen.

The event was conceptualised and managed by final year students in the Bachelor of Consumer Science in Hospitality Management programme, as it formed part of the practical component of their module in Culinary Arts under the guidance of Dr Hennie Fisher.

All ingredients for the dinner were sourced from the Future Africa Indigenous and Orphan Crops Collection (FA IOCC), a specialist collection of the University of Pretoria’s MvdSBG. This collection consists of more than 250 species. It’s housed primarily in a forage garden across the 4.2 hectare Future Africa campus. The FA IOCC was the brainchild of Jason Sampson, head curator of the MvdSBG, as a means to display a wide range of edible and medicinal plants and to preserve crop species and landrace genetics. Today the collection provides plant material for research, teaching, learning and community engagement.

Tickets for the event were originally capped at 100, since the ingredients were limited. But due to overwhelming interest from the public, an additional 34 tickets were added to the event. This meant students had to minimise any potential wastage in the kitchens and use the most limiting ingredients down to the last millilitre and gram.

The carefully designed menu featured a medley of inspiring and innovative meals:

Indigenous and Orphan Crops Dinner – Menu:

Pelargonium (Pelargonium graveolens) and rose-apple (Syzygium jambos) drink 

Chinese water chestnut (Eleocharis dulcis) and Lowveld chestnut (Sterculia murex) bread, and African moringa (Moringa stenopetala) bread served with: lemon (Citrus × limon) and orange (Citrus × sinensis) citrus butter, bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea) hummus, ginger-rosemary oil (Rosmarinus officinalis ‘Ginger’), spekboom (Portulacaria afra) pesto

Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus) soup with wild garlic (Tulbaghia X ‘Ashanti’), crème fraiche, and roasted marula (Sclerocarya birrea) nuts

Syzygium sorbets: Waterberry (Syzygium cordatum), Woodland waterberry (Syzygium guineense), and Brush cherry (Syzygium paniculatum)

Slow braised beef brisket or roasted chickpeas (Cicer arietinum) with crab apple (Malus sylvestris) jelly served with morogo (Galinsoga parviflora and Bidens pilosa) timbale, kale (Brassica oleracea Acephala Group) and strelitzia (Strelitzia reginae) kimchi, and taro (Colocasia esculenta) mash

Num-num (Carissa macrocarpa) and Cape ash (Ekebergia capensis) malva pudding with Mondia (Mondia whitei) ice cream and carob (Ceratonia siliqua) chocolate sauce

The collaboration proved to be a resounding success. And the keen interest in the event proved that many consumers seek novel dining experiences that supports biodiversity and human wellbeing. This highlights the potential opportunities for incorporating more diverse cropping options for both farmers and restaurateurs.

Eating food is a universal experience, and we believe that there is an untapped opportunity to use culinary events as a catalyst for discussions around the conservation of both wild and domesticated plants and achieving environmental sustainability.

Preparations for similar events have already begun and we hope to see more BotSoc members joining for a seat at the harvest table in 2025.

Richard Hay is curator at the Future Africa Indigenous and Orphan Crops Collection, Manie van der Schijff Botanical Garden, University of Pretoria. He is also BotSoc’s Conservation Project Coordinator – Northern Region.

Dr Hennie Fisher is a senior lecturer at the Department of Consumer and Food Science, University of Pretoria.

References:

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