3 - Mantasa: Reviving Edible Wild Plants for Food and Nutrition Sovereignty in Indonesia

Indonesia is a mega-biodiverse country whose rich biodiversity is still underexplored. And this includes food diversity. According to the FAO, there are more than 7,000 plant species that can be consumed globally. However, only 150 species are currently cultivated. The global dependency on a few plants has created many problems, i.e. soil degradation, health issues, loss of traditional knowledge, loss of species, and food overproduction that leads to food waste and loss, as the world now depends on monoculture agriculture system. Consequently, Mantasa (est. 2009) works on the issue of wild edible plants as a strategy to uphold food and nutrition sovereignty. In 2021, the UN Food Systems Summit mentioned that Indigenous Food Systems are a gamechanger if we want to transform current food systems that are destructive. Indigenous Food Systems are characterized as holistic, spiritual, adaptable to climate crisis, energy-efficient and based on biodiversity. Hence, our strategy to created food and nutrition sovereignty is by re-introducing wild edible plants that are abundantly available in nature. This paper will outline the work of the local NGO, Mantasa, as well as discuss the impact and challenges faced.