Prioritization of cultivated and wild edibles by local people in the Uttaranchal hills of Indian Himalaya

The paper deals with the preferences of local communities on the cultivated and wild edible plant species in an Indian Himalayan state, Uttaranchal. The state is comprised of 13 districts, which have 5 major tribal communities (i.e. Bhotiya, Jaunsari, Boksha, Tharu and Raji). The preferences of local people on the cultivated and wild edible plant species varied across the different localities. A total 23 cultivated food crop species and 15 wild edible fruit species were prioritized as the most preferred species by the local people in the study area. Of the prioritized food crops, Triticum aestivum, Oriza sativa, Eluesine coracana, Hordium vulgare and Brassica campestris were common preferences of local people, whereas of the wild edible fruits Myrica esculenta, Berberis asiatica, Rubus ellipticus and Ficus auriculata were the common preferences of local people in Uttaranchal. The preferences for different food plants by the local people are further discussed in the changing socio-cultural and socio-economic context.