From Forest to Table: A Meta-Analysis on the Native Fruit Food Resources of the Philippines

Proponent/s Name/s (Last Name, First Name, Middle Initial)

Jocelyn Louise S. Gan, De La Salle University, ManilaFollow
Jonathan B. Gutierrez Jr., De La Salle University, ManilaFollow
Gwyneth Anne G. Taban, De La Salle University, ManilaFollow
Patricia Elizabeth Y. Yu, De La Salle University, ManilaFollow
Ma. Patricia D. Cortez, De La Salle UniversityFollow

Document Type

Paper Presentation

Research Advisor (Last Name, First Name, Middle Initial)

Cortez, Patricia May

Abstract/Executive Summary

The Philippines boasts a rich plant biodiversity as it is located in the tropical region of the Earth. This opens up many opportunities for ethnobotanical research, which studies the many practical and cultural aspects of the plants present within a region. Native fruits are fruits grown in a specific region that have been neglected by the country’s market, as it prioritizes industrialization over cultural and native traditions and practices. As a result, research on native fruits is becoming few and far between. The researchers see this as a missed opportunity to widen and enrich both the country’s biodiversity and culture. Consequently, the researchers conducted a meta-analysis to collect, exhaust, and preserve all the current information regarding each native fruit’s taxonomic classification, properties, conservation status, and geographical distribution. Data collected from secondary sources was used in creating a comprehensive index of 118 native species used to discuss their uses as an economic food resource, the conservation status, and the geographical distribution of these fruits within the Philippine provinces.

Keywords

native fruits; ethnobotany; biodiversity; food resource; taxonomy