India, Feb. 2 -- A walk along an unnamed wetland (longitude 75.142860, latitude 15.082130) along Tadas Road in Adavisomapur village of Karnataka's Haveri district revealed more than 20 edible and medicinal plants that people in the area source are from around the water body. These are not typical wetland plants as the elevated road has created dry embankments. Most of the plants Down To Earth (DTE) found are weeds that can adapt to both dry and wet conditions.

DTE would not have given them a second look if we had not requested three women, Neelamma Kemmannavar, Prerna Lokunde and Gangavva Washannavarm from Timmapur village in the Dharwad district to accompany us and help us identify these wild edible plants that they use sometimes in the...