Data_Sheet_2_Mainstreaming Local Food Species for Nutritional and Livelihood Security: Insights From Traditional Food Systems of Adi Community of Arunachal Pradesh, India.docx

This study brings out the critical role of lesser-known local plant species in the food, nutrition and livelihood security of Adi community in Arunachal Pradesh, India. Considering women as a major custodian in knowledge and practices on foods, a total of 90 Adi women and 60 key knowledgeable community members (thus a total of 150 participants) were selected from East Siang and Upper Siang districts of Arunachal Pradesh. Data were collected using combination of methods including recipe contest, focus group discussion, personal interviews and laboratory analyses. The results indicated that Adi women were able to identify 39 bioculturally important species from a range of locally available plant species. Used alone or with other foods, these plants remain central to the Adi people's cultural identity and livelihood security. In addition to improving food and nutritional security, these species accessed from different land use systems, are also sold on the local markets to generate decent incomes. Of the species identified by Adi women, 28 were culturally shared and used frequently in food and ethnomedicine. Laboratory analyses of the selected 22 species revealed exceptionally high levels of minerals and other nutrients, such as proteins and anti-oxidants, supporting their traditional use for health benefits. Our study results provide valuable insights to the researchers to explore the vast hidden potential of these and other similar species for improving nutritional well-being of local communities in marginal areas. Adequate policy support is needed to enable Adi and other such marginalized communities to cope with challenges being posed to traditional food systems.

本研究阐明了鲜为人知的本土植物物种在印度阿鲁纳恰尔邦（Arunachal Pradesh）阿迪族（Adi community）的粮食、营养与生计保障体系中发挥的关键作用。考虑到女性在食物相关知识与实践层面是核心传承者，研究团队从阿鲁纳恰尔邦东桑朗县（East Siang）与上桑朗县（Upper Siang）共选取了90名阿迪族女性，以及60名具备丰富相关知识的社区核心成员，总参与人数达150名。研究采用食谱竞赛、焦点小组讨论、个人访谈及实验室分析等多种方法相结合的方式开展数据采集。结果表明，阿迪族女性可从当地广泛分布的植物类群中识别出39种具有重要生物文化价值的物种。这些植物无论是单独食用还是与其他食物搭配，均是阿迪族民众文化认同与生计保障的核心组成部分。除了提升粮食与营养保障水平外，从不同土地利用系统中获取的这些物种，还可在本地市场流通以创造稳定收入。在阿迪族女性识别出的物种中，有28种具有文化共通性，且频繁应用于日常饮食与民族医药领域。针对选取的22个物种开展的实验室分析显示，其矿物质、蛋白质与抗氧化剂等营养成分含量优异，印证了传统使用此类物种以获取健康益处的实践合理性。本研究结果为研究人员挖掘此类及其他同类物种的巨大潜藏价值提供了宝贵参考，助力改善边缘地区本土社区的营养健康状况。当前亟需充足的政策支持，以帮助阿迪族及其他类似边缘社区应对传统粮食系统面临的各类挑战。