Download or read book Current Topics In Ethnobotany written by Ulysses Paulino De Albuquerque and published by . This book was released on 2008-01-01 with total page 137 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Introduction - The field of ethnobotany has grown significantly in the last few years, incorporating a wide range of methodologies, and investigative and theoretical approaches. The opening of different investigative directions based on diverse lines of research has created a need to consolidate and systematize the different approaches that have been adopted. Much current research is oriented towards examining how local practices influence biodiversity and the conservation of natural resources. The last decade has also seen an increase in the number of published works examining and standardizing research methodologies. The chapters of this book have thus sought to capture some of these new trends in ethnobotany, and we hope they can contribute to exchanging experiences among ethnobotanical investigators. This book comprises eight chapters with distinct focuses, including case studies based on ecological, biological, and social approaches, discussions of methodologies used in data collection, as well as state-of-the-art investigations into new/old areas of ethnobotanical inquiry. The first chapter presents an overview of the ethnobotanical and ecological studies underway in the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley, México. The authors examine the management techniques adopted by local communities and their impact on biodiversity, and discuss perspectives for conservation and sustainable use of the local vegetation. McClatchey and Bridges have prepared a text that is of great interest to biologists, geographers, and ethnoecologists, which focuses on the selection of habitats by human populations in the Marshall Islands. The authors conclude that the shape of the island appears to explain their selection and habitation within an atoll, while the total land area explains the population distribution in the Marshall Islands. This study goes beyond the traditional limits of ethnobotanical research. In the third chapter, Ladio and Lozada present a case study undertaken in rural communities in northeastern Patagonia (Argentina) that examines the use of medicinal plants and relates this ancestral practice to the concept of resilience. The authors also evaluate the principal illnesses that occur within the community and examine how the prevalence of those infirmities is related to the diversity of plants used by local populations. The text presented by Pulido and collaborators reviews and discusses research on homegardens in Latina America in light of three central topics their ecological, economic, and social sustainability. The authors discuss methodological questions applied to these studies and consider their strengths and weaknesses in terms of data collection. In the fifth chapter, Amorozo and co-authors describe the general panorama of ethnobotanical studies related to small-scale agricultural systems, with special emphasis on work in tropical regions. The authors describe the structure and functioning of these systems in considerable detail, paying special attention to their dynamics and evolution. Questions are raised concerning the maintenance and conservation of genetic recourses, as well as the contribution of ethnobotanical studies to research on the sustainability of agroecosystems. In chapter six, La Torre-Cuadros presents an exhaustive review of research focusing on ethnic groups in the Peruvian Amazon region undertaken between 1895 and 2007. The work is centered upon local folk knowledge collected during the last 50 years, and examines the principal advances in ethnobotany in Peru. The final two chapters discuss the efficiency of a number of methodological tools used in modern ethnobotanical research. Chapter seven, by Monteiro and co-authors, compares the richness of information about useful plants acquired through three different methodologies: general interviews, interviews within a specific cultural domain, and in situ inventories. The authors conclude that different methodologies result in the collection of distinctly different data sets. These results have important implications in choosing data collection techniques. Chapter eight, by Medeiros and co-workers, reviews the role of visual stimuli in ethnobotanical research, discusses the methodological limitations of the different visual techniques employed, and suggests a standardization of the terminology used for the different types of visual stimuli. This work is of considerable importance in light of the current lack of conceptual precision in the application of these research tools. In general, the different chapters of this book emphasize the diversity of questions that face the present generation of ethnobotanists and describe a number of active investigative areas. Finally, we would like to thank those who helped in the production of this book, especially the reviewers for their assistance and helpfulness in evaluating each chapter and for presenting valuable suggestions.

Download or read book Developing New Functional Food and Nutraceutical Products written by Debasis Bagchi and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2016-09-19 with total page 546 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Developing New Functional Food and Nutraceutical Products provides critical information from conceptualization of new products to marketing, aiming to present a solid understanding of the entire process through detailed coverage of key concepts, namely innovation, regulation, manufacturing, quality control, and marketing. Chapters provide insights into market and competitive analysis, product design and development, intellectual property, ingredient sourcing, cost control, and sales and marketing strategies. - Examines key considerations in product development - Provides a streamlined approach for product development - Addresses manufacturing and quality control challenges - Includes key lessons for a successful product launch and effective marketing

Download or read book Use and Potential of Wild Plants in Farm Households written by Vernon Hilton Heywood and published by Food & Agriculture Org.. This book was released on 1999 with total page 128 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is designed to raise awareness of the use of wild plants in farming systems around the world. It describes the contribution of wild plants as a source of food, fuel wood, shelter, medicines and dyes, and their role in income generation for the improved welfare of farm households and local people. Wild plants are also of paramount importance as sources of wild germplasm that might enhance the productivity, disease resistance, winter hardiness, drought survival of cultured species. This publication analyses the potential of wild species, as well as the natural, social, economic, legal and institutional factors that constrain their use and development potential.

Download or read book Diversifying Food and Diets written by Jessica Fanzo and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-06-26 with total page 401 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Currently 868 million people are undernourished and 195 million children under five years of age are stunted. At the same time, over 1 billion people are overweight and obese in both the developed and developing world. Diseases previously associated with affluence, such as cancer, diabetes and cardio-vascular disease, are on the rise. Food system-based approaches to addressing these problems that could enhance food availability and diet quality through local production and agricultural biodiversity often fall outside the traditional scope of nutrition, and have been under-researched. As a consequence, there remains insufficient evidence to support well-defined, scalable agricultural biodiversity interventions that can be linked to improvements in nutrition outcomes. Agricultural biodiversity is important for food and nutritional security, as a safeguard against hunger, a source of nutrients for improved dietary diversity and quality, and strengthening local food systems and environmental sustainability. This book explores the current state of knowledge on the role of agricultural biodiversity in improving diets, nutrition and food security. Using examples and case studies from around the globe, the book explores current strategies for improving nutrition and diets and identifies key research and implementation gaps that need to be addressed to successfully promote the better use of agricultural biodiversity for rural and urban populations and societies in transition.

Download or read book Dichapetalaceae written by Ghillean T. Prance and published by . This book was released on 1972 with total page 120 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Enth.: Dichapetalaceae ; Rhabdodendraceae.