Global vegetable diversity is shrinking, threatening nutrition and health

A concerning trend of declining vegetable diversity worldwide is impacting global diets and health, according to a new report by an international team of experts in nutrition, agriculture, and botany. Published in the journal 'Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,' the study highlights that most people consume approximately 40 percent less vegetables than recommended for a healthy diet. This low intake is identified as one of the top five dietary risk factors contributing to the global burden of disease.

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The solution is not just to grow more vegetables – but to grow more kinds of vegetables.

Agricultural scientists emphasize that the solution lies not just in increasing the quantity of vegetables grown, but crucially, in cultivating a greater variety. Marten van Zoneveld, an agricultural scientist who led the research, stated, "The solution is not just to grow more vegetables – but to grow more kinds of vegetables." He added that much of the needed vegetable biodiversity still exists in traditional varieties and their wild relatives, which urgently need to be preserved for use in enhancing dietary diversity amidst climate change.

The report points out that numerous mineral- and vitamin-rich vegetable species are being overlooked. Many of these could be better adapted to local growing conditions worldwide. Historically, before the industrialization of agriculture, a much wider array of plants was cultivated for food. For instance, while over 4,000 potato varieties exist, only about five to eight are commonly used in the United States. Industrialization, including selective breeding, monocultures, and genetic modification, along with globalized supply chains, has progressively reduced the diversity of vegetables reaching consumers' tables.

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A large part of the vegetable biodiversity we need still exists – in traditional varieties and their wild relatives. It is urgently needed to preserve it properly so that we can use it wisely to increase dietary diversity amidst climate change.

This loss of diversity is critical because it means losing not only nutritional value but also the ability to adapt crops to changing climatic conditions. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) estimates that 24 percent of assessed wild relatives of vegetables are at risk of extinction. While a few species like lettuce, onions, and tomatoes have become global staples, many others are disappearing, threatening both human health and planetary well-being.

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Several species, such as lettuce, onions, and tomatoes, have become global crops and are part of diets worldwide.