Qimeng Duan

This project examines the decline in agricultural biodiversity from modern practices, focusing on "lost crops" in China, specifically Chenopodium album and Echinochloa crus-galli. While these crops were not staples, they served as supplementary food sources and may have undergone domestication processes. This study aims to uncover their roles and traits in order to better understand their contributions to ancient agricultural practices and potential for enhancing modern sustainable agriculture. Through extensive fieldwork involving collection and analysis of plant remains from various archaeological sites across China, this project seeks to provide insights into the sustainable use of underutilized crops for contemporary agricultural resilience and diversity.

This project examines the decline in agricultural biodiversity from modern practices, focusing on "lost crops" in China, specifically Chenopodium album and Echinochloa crus-galli. While these crops were not staples, they served as supplementary food sources and may have undergone domestication processes. This study aims to uncover their roles and traits in order to better understand their contributions to ancient agricultural practices and potential for enhancing modern sustainable agriculture. Through extensive fieldwork involving collection and analysis of plant remains from various archaeological sites across China, this project seeks to provide insights into the sustainable use of underutilized crops for contemporary agricultural resilience and diversity.