Reversing vegetable biodiversity loss to diversify diets

Abstract

Vegetables are a critical component of diets, with inadequate intake of this essential food group leading to poor dietary quality and malnutrition. Food system assessments identify insufficient production, comparatively high prices, and sociocultural barriers as key constraints to vegetable consumption. We argue that vegetable biodiversity, spanning vegetable species and their varieties, as well as their wild relative species, is a central yet underutilized lever for enhancing vegetable consumption. Vegetables span a wider phylogenetic range than any other plant-derived food group, offering options for different climatic, cultural, and market niches worldwide. However, vegetable biodiversity is declining due to market homogenization, land-use change, and other threats. Its current conservation is insufficient, restricting in turn access to this diversity for research, breeding, and innovation, and making it more difficult to bridge the gap between current and recommended vegetable intake. Reversing this trend globally requires aligning conservation with dietary goals through four complementary action areas: i) Securing vegetable biodiversity by collecting, regenerating, and conserving local crop varieties and wild relatives of key vegetable species in biodiversity hotspots; ii) Harnessing vegetable biodiversity to deliver new varieties through collaborative research, breeding, and variety testing; iii) Promoting vegetable biodiversity to diversify diets, particularly among children and other vulnerable groups, by including nutrient-dense, climate-resilient vegetables into home and school meals; and iv) Integrating vegetable biodiversity into policy frameworks for long-term impact. Implementing this integrated approach in hotspots where vegetable biodiversity and malnutrition overlap can transform an overlooked opportunity into a cornerstone strategy for healthier diets.