COLLABORATIVE PLATFORM FOR PANCS MAPPING: A DIGITAL TOOL TO SUPPORT THE CULTIVATION, RESEARCH, AND CONSERVATION OF FOOD BIODIVERSITY

Introduction: Non-Conventional Food Plants (PANC) include classes of plants with nutritional value and others that are totally unexplored, which are generally outside the conventional food system, but which are still known regionally. Many of them are only found in residential crops, quilombola indigenous communities or in native biomes. One of the main obstacles to the dissemination of these species is the acquisition of seeds, seedlings, rhizomes and the matrices themselves for cultivation and study. Objective: To develop a free, open and collaborative digital platform, in order to map where PANC are grown or found in Brazil. Developing a geographic information base of these species, mapping mainly domestic crops that can be crucial to preserve varieties with food and technological potential. Methodology: The platform was built in its initial version with free-to-use tools, such as Streamlit, Google Sheets, Folium and the Google Maps API. Through an online form, anyone can register a plant, informing the popular name, the address (with zip code and number), how the plant is used, and whether it is available for exchange or donation of seedlings or seeds. The data is automatically organized and shown on an interactive map. If the exact coordinates cannot be used, the system locates the address approximately. Results: The platform is already up and running on a small scale and has initial records of different PANC, including those grown at home, in community gardens, or found in the wild