The Traditional Foodways Program supports traditional food systems in their entirety – the sustainable harvesting, management, cultivation, processing, and preparation of a wide range and astonishing number of food species. Rather than specific foods, however, it is these complex and diverse food systems that are most endangered today, dependent as they are on threatened traditions and biologically diverse environments. 

People and Plants has a long history of developing innovative knowledge exchange tools to catalyze productive exchanges between individuals, communities and other groups. We create and support knowledge networks which bridge disciplines, sectors and cultures, and bring people together to share experiences, knowledge and skills relating to natural resource use, trade, and management, health and wellbeing, and land and resource rights. 

The Cultural Landscapes and Community Conservation Program supports traditional management practices that grow from shared histories and connections to place – interwoven with biological and cultural diversity, that conserve biodiversity and strengthen communities. These management systems, and the cultural landscapes, not only create the basis for community, health, and sustainable livelihoods, but reduce risk in a complex and uncertain environment, helping local groups adapt to change. 

The Policy and Trade Program undertakes research and develops policy and communications tools to support effective law and policy, biodiversity conservation, and the sustainable and equitable use of genetic and biological resources. The Program works in diverse ways and at multiple scales, addressing the broad ecosystem of laws and intersecting measures that impact local livelihoods, resource management, conservation, and resource rights.

A collection of case studies has been produced on forest and wild foods, and agrifood systems that integrate forest foods and wild species. The case studies include information on species use, markets and management practices, and threats to sustainability and equity. They help to make visible the knowledge, experience and livelihoods of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLC) and bring into view the widespread and critical management systems that feed much of the world’s population, but too often exist on the margins of policy, and lack support.