How many different vegetables do we actually eat? If we think about those we usually find at the grocery store, we probably eat far fewer than we imagine. Yet there are at least 1,482 species of edible vegetables in the world, many of which are grown only locally or are now little used.
A new study published in the scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) highlights the situation. Vegetable biodiversity is declining, and many traditional varieties are at risk of extinction. The problem, the researchers explain, isn't just the possibility of having fewer different vegetables on our tables, but also agriculture's ability to adapt to an increasingly challenging climate.
Vegetable Biodiversity is Decreasing
To analyze the situation, the researchers collected data on the world's edible vegetable species, identifying 1,482 of them. Alongside well-known crops such as tomatoes, onions, and lettuce, there are many less common ones, such as spider plant in Africa, bitter gourd in Asia, and slippery cabbage in the Pacific Islands. Some of these plants may have particularly interesting characteristics: they are adapted to the environmental conditions of the regions where they are grown and may be resistant to heat, drought, pests, or diseases.
The problem is that many of these species and varieties receive little attention from agriculture and research: according to the study, approximately 80% of studies analyzing changes in the genetic diversity of vegetables have detected a decline over the last century. Even wild species genetically related to the crops we eat are under pressure: of those related to 79 important horticultural crops analyzed by the researchers, approximately a quarter are threatened.
Why Losing Variety Could Be a Problem
But why should we worry about vegetable varieties we've perhaps never seen or tasted? One reason is climate change. A plant grown in a particular region for generations may have developed characteristics that allow it to better withstand high temperatures, periods of drought, or certain diseases: these qualities could become valuable for developing the crops of the future. Traditional varieties and wild relatives of vegetables therefore represent a sort of genetic reserve: if they are lost, we could also lose characteristics that could help agriculture face increasingly difficult environmental conditions.
This doesn't mean we'll risk running out of tomatoes or carrots at the supermarket tomorrow. The problem highlighted by the researchers is broader: the global food system is focusing on a relatively limited number of crops, leaving a huge portion of plant biodiversity marginalized. And the issue also affects our diets: according to the data reported in the study, people worldwide consume an average of about 40% fewer vegetables than the amount recommended by the World Health Organization.
It's Not Enough to Eat More Vegetables, You Need to Eat Different Ones
For the authors of the research, therefore, the challenge is not just to produce more vegetables, but to cultivate a greater variety of vegetables. This means conserving traditional varieties and seeds, studying lesser-known species, and creating the conditions for them to be cultivated and consumed again. A significant part of this heritage, in fact, still exists: the risk is that it will be progressively abandoned.
Crop diversification could help make agriculture more resilient and, at the same time, offer people a wider choice of plant-based foods. After all, the next important vegetable for our future could be one of those we barely know about today: and perhaps to protect biodiversity, we need to ask ourselves not just how many vegetables we eat, but how many different vegetables we're leaving off our plates.
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