Spotlight on AIARD Scholar Gracie Carter: Advancing Food Security through Neglected and Underutilized Crops in Northern Thailand

​​Diversifying Food Systems for Food Security
Over 30,000 edible plant species have been identified worldwide, with approximately 7,000 being cultivated for food.[1] Yet today, global diets rely on a surprisingly small number of crops. Fewer than 150 of these species are cultivated commercially and just over 100 species account for 90% of the human diet. Even more striking is only four crops – Oryza sativa (rice), Triticum aestivum (wheat), Zea mays (maize), and Solanum tuberosum (potato) – supply roughly 60% of all human calories.[2]
At the same time, global food systems are facing increasing pressures from climate shocks, population growth, declining soil fertility and limited agricultural diversification[3]. In Southeast Asia, many smallholders are incentivized to transition to monocropping for the short-term economic gain. While this can provide immediate income, it can also contribute to ecological and economic vulnerability, soil degradation, and reduce the diversity of foods available for household consumption[4].
But what about the thousands of edible plant species that remain largely overlooked? What species that are available yet underutilized to meet the world’s increasing food demands?
These questions are at the heart of the research being conducted Gracie Carter, 2026 AIARD Future Leaders Form Fellow and scholarship awardee. Gracie is pursuing a PhD in Plant, Soil, and Environmental Sciences at the University of Tennessee, where she serves as graduate research assistant with the Smith Center for International Sustainable Agriculture. Her research focuses on strengthening food security among upland smallholders in Northern Thailand through identification, cultivation, and promotion of neglected and underutilized species (NUS).
NUS are wild or domesticated crops that hold significant nutritional, cultural, and ecological value but are often overlooked by researchers, policy makers, and extension services in favor of a small number of staple crops. Many of these plants are highly nutritious and naturally adapted to challenging growing environments, making them value tools for building more resilient food systems.  
Gracie’s research uses a two-phase approach that combines a participatory rural appraisal (PRA) with horticultural research trials. The first phase seeks to understand which NUS have the greatest potential to address micronutrient deficiencies and seasonal food scarcity. The second phase focuses on developing evidence-based horticultural practices that can support their cultivation and adoption by farmers.
Her work is being conducted in collaboration with ECHO Asia, a nonprofit located in Chiang Mai. Thailand, that seeks to equip smallholder farmers and development practitioners to address hunger, malnutrition, and poverty through sustainable agriculture solutions. 
Leveraging the AIARD Scholarship to Engage Communities
Through the support of the AIARD scholarship, Gracie spent January conducting participatory research with three upland Karen villages in northern Thailand. Through community-engaged research methods, she worked closely with farmers to:
1.Identify the leafy vegetables NUS most valued by smallholders
2. Document the nutritional, economic, botanical, culinary, cultural, and ecological characteristics of these plants.
3.Better understand local food security conditions, agricultural challenges, and cultural relationships to NUS
4.Select two to four priority species for future horticultural research
Research activities included household surveys, transect walks, key informant interviews, community mapping, and species ranking activities. This participatory approach positioned farmers not only as research participants, but as co-researchers, ensuring findings reflect both scientific analysis and local knowledge. 
Reflecting on her time in Thailand, Gracie shared:
“I had an incredible experience learning from local knowledge systems while documenting use and importance of local leafy vegetables considered neglected and underutilized species. I’m grateful to AIARD for making this research possible, and I’m thankful to the farmers and community members who generously shared their time, knowledge, and trust with me.”
Next Steps and Expected Impact
Gracie will return to Thailand in May 2026 to begin participatory research trials in collaboration with ECHO Asia and the PRA study communities. These trials will evaluate cultivation practices, agronomic performance, nutrient content, and farmer preference of the community-selected species: Diplazium esculentum (vegetable fern) and Elsholtzia spp. (hor-wo).
 
The outcomes of Gracie’s work will have multiple impacts:

• Scientific: Comparative data on the agronomic performance and nutritional qualities of underutilized crops, filling gaps in the global NUS research
• Practical: Evidence-based extension resources for NUS cultivation tailored to upland farming systems
• Social: Strengthening of household food security, enhancement of dietary diversity, and preservation of traditional knowledge.
• Policy: Insights that inform strategies aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goal 2 (Zero Hunger), supporting diverse and resilient agrifood systems.

Scientific contributions from this work include comparative data on the agronomic performance and nutritional qualities of underutilized crops, filling gaps in the global literature on leafy vegetable NUS. Practical contributions will include evidence-based extension resources for NUS cultivation and management tailored specifically to upland farming systems. Social contributions include the strengthening of household food security, enhancement of dietary diversity, and preservation of traditional knowledge. Finally, findings will hold important policy relevance by informing strategies aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goal 2 (Zero Hunger) and advancing efforts to promote more diverse and resilient agrifood systems. 
By highlighting the potential of underutilized crops, Gracie’s research exemplifies how AIARD Scholars are advancing sustainable solutions in international agriculture and rural development.

[1] Khoshbakht & Hammer, 2008; Khoury et al., 2023
[2] Biodiversity International, 2017; FAO, 1997; Li et al., 2020; Prescott-Allen & Prescott-Allen, 1990
[3] Fauziyyah & Duasa, 2021; Sundram, 2023; Li & Siddique, 2018
[4] Tiemann & Douxchamps, 2023

References
Biodiversity International. (2017). Mainstreaming Agrobiodiversity in Sustainable Food  Systems: Scientific Foundations for an Agrobiodiversity Index. Rome, Italy: Biodiversity International. ISBN: 978-92-9255-070-7 
FAO. (1997). First Report of the State of the World’s Plant Genetic Resources for Food and  Agriculture. Rome, Italy: FAO 
Fauziyyah, N. E., & Duasa, J. (2021). Analysis of food security in Southeast Asia countries. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 756(1), 012004. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/756/1/012004 
Khoshbakht, K., & Hammer, K. (2008). How many plant species are cultivated? Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution, 55(7), 925–928.https://doi.org/10.1007/s10722-008-9368-0 
Khoury, C.K., Sotelo, S., Amariles, D. & Hawtin, G. (eds) (2023). The plants that feed the world – Baseline data and metrics to inform strategies for the conservation and use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture. Rome, Italy: FAO. https://doi.org/10.4060/cc6876en 
Li, X., & Siddique, K. H. M. (eds) (2018). Future smart food. Bangkok, Thailand: FAO. 
Li, X., Yadav, R., & Siddique, K. H. M. (2020). Neglected and Underutilized Crop Species: The Key to Improving Dietary Diversity and Fighting Hunger and Malnutrition in Asia and the Pacific. Frontiers in Nutrition, 7. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2020.593711 
Prescott-Allen, R., & Prescott-Allen, C. (1990). How Many Plants Feed the World?  Conservation Biology, 4(4), 365–374. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1523-1739.1990.tb00310.x
Sundram, P. (2023). Food security in ASEAN: Progress, challenges and future. Frontiers in  
Sustainable Food Systems, 7. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2023.1260619 
Tiemann, T., & Douxchamps, S. (2023). Opportunities and challenges for integrated smallholder farming systems to improve soil nutrient management in Southeast Asia. World Development Sustainability, 3, 100080. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wds.2023.100080