There can be few more worthy goals than ending malnutrition, hunger, and food insecurity.
It is not surprising, therefore, that applying agricultural science knowledge to a global action and education program aiming to achieve exactly this is a career highlight for Buz Green AM (BAgrSc Hons ’71).
Buz applied the expertise of fellow agricultural science alumnus Bruce French AO (BAgrSc ’69) to create Rotary’s Food Plant Solutions Rotary Action Group in 2007.
For almost six decades, Bruce has been cataloguing the world’s edible food plants creating the largest database of its kind. In recognition of his life’s work collecting and distributing information about edible plants, Bruce was named the 2022 TAS Senior Australian of the Year.
The Food Plant Solutions Rotary Action Group extracts information from this database to create educational resources that promote the cultivation and consumption of local, nutrient-rich food plants.
“Alongside information on how to grow the plant and its use, is key nutritional information that emphasises how these nutrients contribute to overall health and well-being, which is a key point of difference between these resources and others,” Buz said.
“The food groups we focussed on for the guides are starchy staples; legumes; leafy greens; fruit; vegetables; and nuts, seeds and herbs,” he said.
“In each country or region, we identify about six plants in each food group that are both known to grow in the specified locality/country and have the highest nutritional value.
“These country or locality-specific lists are then presented to the local population as a tailored educational resource.”
Buz adds that Food Plant Solutions shares the educational resources with in-country partners who utilise them in their projects. The end result is food production practices that are sustainable, cost-effective, and which empower local populations, ensuring food security and climate-resilient food production.
“We want to create a sustainable, self-help food system to produce the best nutrition possible – it’s so important,” Buz said.
The approach addresses immediate nutritional needs but also strengthens local agriculture and communities while helping to address the challenges climate change poses to vulnerable populations.
Buz explains that, unlike some other approaches that impose western food crops on countries, this project instead works with local communities to identify the existing food crops that naturally thrive in the region.
“It’s okay in western societies, where there are sufficient resources, to use improved genetic crop variants, but it’s not sensible to employ these variants in developing countries if they require more fertiliser or irrigation,” he said.
“Such western approaches also carry the risk of relying on a specific crop rather than a diverse selection.
“To me it was a no brainer to involve Rotary in our alternative approach; I thought we have a wide network of people around the world who could assist with this work.”
Food Plant Solutions has published over 150 educational resources for nearly 60 countries and recently received a letter of support from World Vision International’s Global Director for Health and Nutrition.
“This highlights the reach and importance of the project,” Buz said.
Buz remains active with Food Plant Solutions Rotary Action Group and is past president of the Rotary Club of Devonport North. In addition to his work at Rotary, he also endowed a scholarship, the LR Buz Green AM Scholarship in Agricultural Science, which provides financial assistance to a student who is commencing a Bachelor of Agricultural Science degree at the University of Tasmania.
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