The Importance of Non-Conventional Food Plants (PANCS) for the sustainability of ecologically based production systems

Abstract

Redeeming and giving visibility to unconventional food crops-PANC, means promoting the reconnectionRedeeming and giving visibility to unconventional food crops-PANC, means promoting the reconnectionof people with the place in where they live, and strengthening production systems.The objective of this work is to identify plant species that occur in the southern region of RioGrande do Sul, which are no longer part of the human diet. The research involved a bibliographicalreview and the realization of six semi-structured interviews with people who, duringchildhood and youth lived in rural areas, who are currently over 60 years old. The data showthat, species of high nutritional value such as fava, buckwheat, caruru, among others, althoughavailable in rural areas, are no longer used in food. The habits of “modern life”, ruled constantlyby consumerism and search for practicality, go in the opposite direction to the process of searchingfor a healthy, conscious and responsible diet.