**2. A brief analysis of the production, consumption and trade of vegetables**

The global market of vegetables is still predominantly local because only about 5% of vegetables grown worldwide are marketed internationally. However, this percentage continues to increase quite a lot from one year to other. Easy access to a booming global market is essential for export vegetable producing countries, such as Mexico, Spain or The Netherlands. For example, over the past two decades, Mexico has strengthened its leading position of vegetable exports in the North American market and EU domestic trade has continued to grow, particularly on the basis of products from the two European countries mentioned above.

Declared revenues on the global vegetable market were around 1.249.8 billion US\$ in 2018, and their market share increased at an average annual rate of +4.1% between 2007 and 2018. Overall vegetable consumption reached the maximum value in 2018 and is expected to increase continuously between 2020 and 2025 [4].

The quantities of vegetables exported worldwide in 2018 (**Figure 1**), reached a level of about 47 million tonnes, the total volume of exports increasing at an average annual rate of 1.7% between 2007 and 2018. In terms of value, vegetable exports amounted to 42.3 billions US\$. The world's most important exporters were; The Netherlands (6.1 million tonnes), Mexico (5.8 million tonnes), Spain (5.1 million tonnes), China (4.3 million tonnes), France (3.5 million tonnes), Germany (2.7 million tonnes) and the United States (2.4 million tonnes) accounting for about 64% of total vegetable exports in 2018.

Vegetables import levels have also had an upward trend over the past decade. Statistical data show that in 2018 the greatest importers was the US with 7.4 million tonnes, followed by Germany (3.8 million tonnes), the Netherlands (3.1 million tonnes) Russia and the United Kingdom (2.2 million tonnes). An interesting trend has been the emergence in recent years of new countries with high requirements on imports of vegetables such as India, China or the United Arab Emirates. Russia has also seen an increase in trade, despite the imposition of economic sanctions on imports since 2014. The main countries providing vegetables to Russia are Belarus, Morocco, China, Armenia and Azerbaijan [4].

**63**

*Vegetable Landraces: The "Gene Banks" for Traditional Farmers and Future Breeding Programs*

It is estimated that 70% of vegetables grown around the world are sold fresh and whole as primary (unprocessed) horticultural products. Processing of vegetables by preserving, freezing and drying is the main purpose of storage technologies, the possibility of long-distance transport, long lasting storage and the reduction of damage losses. However, the global consumption of preserved vegetables has decreased over the past decade, which attests to consumers' preferences for fresh vegetables against the background of reduced time from harvest to market (concept from field to fork). Has increased however the demand for frozen vegetables over

*The main global exporters of vegetables, and the volume of their exports for 2018. Processed by; World -* 

*Vegetable - Market Analysis, Forecast, Size, Trends and Insights (researchandmarkets.com).*

Due to the relatively high level of perishability, primary horticultural products are exposed to loss in a significant percentage. With 1 in 8 people on Earth starving (about 759 million people), the loss of vegetables and fruits is a component with major social effects. According to the FAO, about 14% of globally produced foods are lost between harvest and retail trade, with significant quantities also being wasted at the retail and consumption level. The value is higher in the case of fruit and vegetables where losses range from 20 to 40 % [6]. Analysis of the data presented shows that significant losses of fresh vegetables and fruits occur in the production process (Europe, North America, Oceania and Latin America), in processing (Africa, South Asia and South-East) and to the final consumer (Europe,

Recent studies haves shown that in European Union around 7.2 million tonnes of fruits and vegetables are discarded annually, which is the equivalent of 14.2 kg/person/ year. Of this quantity, avoidable waste (edible parts) accounted for almost half, and the inevitable waste (shells, seeds, stalk, etc.) was the difference [7–9]. These wastes, if are not properly treated, pose major environmental hazards because their decompo-

Therefore, the reducing of food waste is the main way to close the gap between food supply and demand [11]. On the basis of this argument, one of the specific targets of the UN Sustainable Development Goals is to halve food losses along the production and supply chain by 2030 (Objective 12.3) [12]. The European Commission is committed to respect the objective 12.3. and considers food waste as a priority area in its Circular Economy Action Plan [13]. Moreover, to underline the

sition eliminates an important quantity of various greenhouse gases [10].

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.96138*

**2.1 Fresh or conserved vegetables?**

**Figure 1.**

the past decade by an average of about 1% annually [5].

**2.2 The vegetables and chain food waste**

North America and Industrialized Asia).

*Vegetable Landraces: The "Gene Banks" for Traditional Farmers and Future Breeding Programs DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.96138*

**Figure 1.**

*Landraces - Traditional Variety and Natural Breed*

to focus exclusively on specialized vegetable production.

**2. A brief analysis of the production, consumption and trade** 

basis of products from the two European countries mentioned above.

and on the used technologies [2].

cereals [3].

**of vegetables**

64% of total vegetable exports in 2018.

Morocco, China, Armenia and Azerbaijan [4].

are eaten fresh. Unfortunately, a large part of primary (unprocessed) horticultural products have a relatively short life before they begin to degrade. The extent to which the nutritional value of vegetables deteriorates during harvesting, processing and storage depends both on the type of product (species, organ, ripening level)

Also, the vegetables are recognized as essential for food and nutritional security of humanity. Producing them offers multiple economic opportunities, reducing poverty and unemployment in rural areas especially, and is also an essential component of plant biodiversity maintaining strategies. The systematic production of vegetables for local markets not only provides income for small farmers, but also contributes to strengthening their resilience to external risks. Diversification of vegetable crops, short cycles of growth and development, the use of local, environmentally friendly inputs and the efficient use of fertilizers, pesticides and irrigation can reduce farmers' vulnerability to climate changes. For economic resilience, farmers may choose either to integrate vegetables into existing large crop systems or

Vegetable production has increased more than twice in the last 25 years and the economic value generated by their cultivation has exceeded the commercial value of

The global market of vegetables is still predominantly local because only about 5% of vegetables grown worldwide are marketed internationally. However, this percentage continues to increase quite a lot from one year to other. Easy access to a booming global market is essential for export vegetable producing countries, such as Mexico, Spain or The Netherlands. For example, over the past two decades, Mexico has strengthened its leading position of vegetable exports in the North American market and EU domestic trade has continued to grow, particularly on the

Declared revenues on the global vegetable market were around 1.249.8 billion US\$ in 2018, and their market share increased at an average annual rate of +4.1% between 2007 and 2018. Overall vegetable consumption reached the maximum value in 2018 and is expected to increase continuously between 2020 and 2025 [4]. The quantities of vegetables exported worldwide in 2018 (**Figure 1**), reached a level of about 47 million tonnes, the total volume of exports increasing at an average annual rate of 1.7% between 2007 and 2018. In terms of value, vegetable exports amounted to 42.3 billions US\$. The world's most important exporters were; The Netherlands (6.1 million tonnes), Mexico (5.8 million tonnes), Spain (5.1 million tonnes), China (4.3 million tonnes), France (3.5 million tonnes), Germany (2.7 million tonnes) and the United States (2.4 million tonnes) accounting for about

Vegetables import levels have also had an upward trend over the past decade. Statistical data show that in 2018 the greatest importers was the US with 7.4 million tonnes, followed by Germany (3.8 million tonnes), the Netherlands (3.1 million tonnes) Russia and the United Kingdom (2.2 million tonnes). An interesting trend has been the emergence in recent years of new countries with high requirements on imports of vegetables such as India, China or the United Arab Emirates. Russia has also seen an increase in trade, despite the imposition of economic sanctions on imports since 2014. The main countries providing vegetables to Russia are Belarus,

**62**

*The main global exporters of vegetables, and the volume of their exports for 2018. Processed by; World - Vegetable - Market Analysis, Forecast, Size, Trends and Insights (researchandmarkets.com).*

#### **2.1 Fresh or conserved vegetables?**

It is estimated that 70% of vegetables grown around the world are sold fresh and whole as primary (unprocessed) horticultural products. Processing of vegetables by preserving, freezing and drying is the main purpose of storage technologies, the possibility of long-distance transport, long lasting storage and the reduction of damage losses. However, the global consumption of preserved vegetables has decreased over the past decade, which attests to consumers' preferences for fresh vegetables against the background of reduced time from harvest to market (concept from field to fork). Has increased however the demand for frozen vegetables over the past decade by an average of about 1% annually [5].

#### **2.2 The vegetables and chain food waste**

Due to the relatively high level of perishability, primary horticultural products are exposed to loss in a significant percentage. With 1 in 8 people on Earth starving (about 759 million people), the loss of vegetables and fruits is a component with major social effects. According to the FAO, about 14% of globally produced foods are lost between harvest and retail trade, with significant quantities also being wasted at the retail and consumption level. The value is higher in the case of fruit and vegetables where losses range from 20 to 40 % [6]. Analysis of the data presented shows that significant losses of fresh vegetables and fruits occur in the production process (Europe, North America, Oceania and Latin America), in processing (Africa, South Asia and South-East) and to the final consumer (Europe, North America and Industrialized Asia).

Recent studies haves shown that in European Union around 7.2 million tonnes of fruits and vegetables are discarded annually, which is the equivalent of 14.2 kg/person/ year. Of this quantity, avoidable waste (edible parts) accounted for almost half, and the inevitable waste (shells, seeds, stalk, etc.) was the difference [7–9]. These wastes, if are not properly treated, pose major environmental hazards because their decomposition eliminates an important quantity of various greenhouse gases [10].

Therefore, the reducing of food waste is the main way to close the gap between food supply and demand [11]. On the basis of this argument, one of the specific targets of the UN Sustainable Development Goals is to halve food losses along the production and supply chain by 2030 (Objective 12.3) [12]. The European Commission is committed to respect the objective 12.3. and considers food waste as a priority area in its Circular Economy Action Plan [13]. Moreover, to underline the importance of reducing food loss, the UN declared 29 September as "International Day of Food Lost and Waste".

#### **2.3 Ecological and organic vegetables, increasingly sought after in rich societies**

The global market share of organic foods is growing from year to year. The share of trade in organic and ecologic fruit and vegetables (out of the total trade in fresh fruit and vegetables) has increased by around 10% in some european countries with high standards of living such as; Switzerland, Sweden, Austria and Denmark. In the United States, this rate is around 9%, but there has been recorded intense growth rates in the last years. Although, income per capita appears to be a determining factor in the consumption of these products, this is not the only one. The consumer education level, supermarket policies on the category of organic vegetables, the price and availability of conventional or traditional products, cultural factors, etc. can be important vectors that influence the consumption of organic and ecologic vegetables products [5].

#### **2.4 Seed vegetables market**

Vegetable quality assurance is achieved by a succession of attributes related to biological material and cultivation technologies, harvesting, conditioning, processing, storage and marketing. Seed quality is the basic appropriation that characterizes the biological material. The demand of growers for quality seeds is increasing. The world market for vegetable seeds accounts for about 11% of the total plant seed market. The estimated value of the vegetable seed market in 2017 was 8.02 billion US\$, reaching 12.6 billion US\$ by 2021, with a cumulative annual rate of 8.1 [3].

#### **3. Vegetable genetic resources and biodiversity preservation**

In general, plant genetic resources are defined as that part of biodiversity used to generate productivity and quality in agriculture. In addition to commercial genotypes (varieties and hybrids), the genetic resources of a cultivated species include breeding lines, genetic forms obtained by various technologies by deliberate breeding (natural or induced mutant lines, substitution and addition lines, inter-specific hybrids, etc.), wild descendants, related species and local races, also referred to as 'farmers, local or primitive varieties' [14].

Plant Genetic Resources (PGR's) represents an important component of the conservation of plant biodiversity and the food security of the human population [15]. PGRs are actually the expression of natural variability in plants, variability that has sustained the human species for millennia. The multitude of plant species, with all existing genotypes, are especially important for ensuring food security, but also because they represent energy sources, medicines, animal feed, fiber, ecosystem services, etc. All these aspects are essential in the context of the global challenges currently facing life on Earth, in particular due to climate change and resource shortages. In the light of this, the efficient conservation and sustainable use of the PGR's is extremely important and has never been more necessary [16].

Thus, according to The Second Report on the State of the World's Plant Genetic Resources [17], approximately 7.4 million genotypes, sources of germplasm, belong to over 16,500 species of plants are currently stored in 1750 gene banks and collections around the world.

Vegetable genetic resources (VGR's) are the foundation on which vegetable cultivation techniques and food chains integrated with them have been developed, and the genetic diversity present in small farms and germplasm collections is

**65**

(**Figure 2**).

*Vegetable Landraces: The "Gene Banks" for Traditional Farmers and Future Breeding Programs*

essential in efforts to eradicate hunger and poverty. They are the main gene reservoir for the production of new vegetables cultivars and the main supplier of genetic diversity [18]. Therefore, plant genetic resources offer a huge diversity and variability, widely used in genetic studies and plant breeding programs, with undeni-

Vegetable genetic resources (VGR's) are used both by traditional farmers to obtain safe and quality production and by researchers as the initial biological material for obtaining new cultivars. The genetic resources are also a reservoir of biodiversity that acts as an element of balancing sudden economic and environmental changes. Recent studies have shown that the main factor in the erosion of PGR's and biodiversity loss is the replacement in cultivation of local genotypes (old varieties, local populations)

Unfortunately, VGR's natural pools are strongly affected by the modern society

Modern industrial agriculture based on improved hybrids and cultivars limited and marginalized the use of landraces, causing a serious loss of genetic variability. The high genetic erosion of vegetable landraces was highlighted by Hammer and Laghetti [22], who found that from 1950 till 1986 in Southern Italy only 27.2% of the landraces were still grown. Also, Dias [23] reported that, during the last 50-60 years the genetic diversity of vegetables has been severely eroded all over the world, so that the vegetable genetic resources are disappearing yearly on a global scale with a rate of 1.5-2.0%. This genetic erosion represents an alarm signal for the breeding activities in order to streamline the vegetable production under stressful

As genetic erosion continues "in situ" and on farms due to the reasons already

mentioned and climate change as well as by replacing old local varieties with improved, super-productive genotypes, it is necessary to intensify the efforts of collection, characterization and conservation with a major focus on the wild relatives of cultivated plants and on the breeds of vegetables poorly represented by the major and minor groups of this class. The conservation of the diversity of local and

**4. Landraces – definition and their importance in traditional farms** 

Widely used in the literature, the term "landrace" encompasses different concepts, variable in time and space, depending on trends prevalent in the use and conservation of genetic resources. After a period of beginning when the issue of preserving and maintaining biodiversity was prevalent, today the commercial message is clear and promotes the higher nutritional and sensorial qualities of local vegetable landraces [26]. Due to their complex nature and huge diversity landraces are extremely difficult to be characterized by an all-encompassing definition

However, over time, different authors have tried to define landraces on the basis of the characterization of their main attributes. Kiessling [27] in 1912 defined landraces as a mixture of shapes (phenotypes) with a certain degree of external uniformity, specific composition and a high adaptability to the natural, technical

An interesting definition has been proposed by Prospéri et al. [29] in 1994 which attest that a landrace represents a set of genotypes belonging to the same species,

and economic conditions of the region of origin [28].

underutilized plant crops should also be given greater attention [25].

activities – urbanization, habitat degradation through intensive exploitation, deforestation and arson, increased pressure from diseases and pests, to name just

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.96138*

with modern cultivars [21].

some of these activities.

environments [24].

**and breeding programs**

able benefits for global food production [19, 20].

#### *Vegetable Landraces: The "Gene Banks" for Traditional Farmers and Future Breeding Programs DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.96138*

essential in efforts to eradicate hunger and poverty. They are the main gene reservoir for the production of new vegetables cultivars and the main supplier of genetic diversity [18]. Therefore, plant genetic resources offer a huge diversity and variability, widely used in genetic studies and plant breeding programs, with undeniable benefits for global food production [19, 20].

Vegetable genetic resources (VGR's) are used both by traditional farmers to obtain safe and quality production and by researchers as the initial biological material for obtaining new cultivars. The genetic resources are also a reservoir of biodiversity that acts as an element of balancing sudden economic and environmental changes. Recent studies have shown that the main factor in the erosion of PGR's and biodiversity loss is the replacement in cultivation of local genotypes (old varieties, local populations) with modern cultivars [21].

Unfortunately, VGR's natural pools are strongly affected by the modern society activities – urbanization, habitat degradation through intensive exploitation, deforestation and arson, increased pressure from diseases and pests, to name just some of these activities.

Modern industrial agriculture based on improved hybrids and cultivars limited and marginalized the use of landraces, causing a serious loss of genetic variability. The high genetic erosion of vegetable landraces was highlighted by Hammer and Laghetti [22], who found that from 1950 till 1986 in Southern Italy only 27.2% of the landraces were still grown. Also, Dias [23] reported that, during the last 50-60 years the genetic diversity of vegetables has been severely eroded all over the world, so that the vegetable genetic resources are disappearing yearly on a global scale with a rate of 1.5-2.0%. This genetic erosion represents an alarm signal for the breeding activities in order to streamline the vegetable production under stressful environments [24].

As genetic erosion continues "in situ" and on farms due to the reasons already mentioned and climate change as well as by replacing old local varieties with improved, super-productive genotypes, it is necessary to intensify the efforts of collection, characterization and conservation with a major focus on the wild relatives of cultivated plants and on the breeds of vegetables poorly represented by the major and minor groups of this class. The conservation of the diversity of local and underutilized plant crops should also be given greater attention [25].
