Foreword

Humans are dependent on plants for their food. Total 75% of the food supply to humans is drawn from just 12 crops and five livestock species. However, natural calamities, climate change, and other human activities pose a risk to the productivity of these species, with some potentially facing extinction. The ultimate goal of all scientists and policymakers is to see a hunger-free world. In this scenario, there is a need to expand the food base. Taking this into account, the book titled Wild Vegetables: Morphology, Phytochemistry and Utility by Dr. Ganesh Chandrakant Nikalje, Ms. Apurva Chonde, Dr. Sudhakar Srivastava, and Prof. Penna Suprasanna is a welcome step. In the global scene, there is a vogue to have plants as food from natural sources. I am happy to see the book with detailed information on the plants with their scientific name, names in different languages, their distribution, propagation and recipes. Many wild vegetables, especially leafy vegetables, have several essential elements like magnesium, calcium, sodium, etc. In villages and small towns like Anantapur, where I live, street vendors sell wild vegetables. The book gives detailed information on wild vegetables. The book also gives colour photographs for easy identification of wild vegetables. I am sure this book will be useful to both research scientists and laymen. This book will be a valuable resource for agriculturists and horticulturists to develop high-yielding varieties of these wild vegetables and for developing cultivation techniques. For nutritionists, it will be beneficial to fortify the human diet with vitamins and essential micronutrients.

I must congratulate all the four authors for this excellent book. I am sure this book will get a wider readership. This can be recommended to the students of Food Science and Nutrition.