Local markets are still an integral part of the food system in developing economies of tropical regions including Samoa. This small South Pacific country is largely dependent on the production of crops in village agriculture, where traditional markets play an important role in sustainability of food supply. Similarly as many small island developing economies, Samoa is currently facing several challenges such as food security and high dependence on food imports. Therefore, we decided to monitor the diversity of plant foods on Samoan local markets and their economic and geographic indicators through interviews with the vendors. Our results suggest that assortment and economical value of plant food products have potential to increase sustainable food security of the local population and support economic growth of the region. For example, underutilized crops available at local markets are prospective species for development of new food products with beneficial nutritional and health properties. Moreover, certain commodities (e.g., papaya, kava and Samoan cocoa) seem to be promising for export. In addition, our findings suggest that development of appropriate processing technologies and the optimization of the logistics of crop products sold at local markets can contribute to an increase in efficiency of the regional agricultural sector.

中文翻译：

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当地热带市场植物性食品的多样性、经济价值和区域分布：萨摩亚案例研究

当地市场仍然是包括萨摩亚在内的热带地区发展中经济体粮食系统的一个组成部分。这个南太平洋小国在很大程度上依赖乡村农业的作物生产，传统市场在粮食供应的可持续性方面发挥着重要作用。与许多小岛屿发展中经济体类似，萨摩亚目前面临着若干挑战，例如粮食安全和对粮食进口的高度依赖。因此，我们决定通过与供应商的访谈来监测萨摩亚当地市场植物性食品的多样性及其经济和地理指标。我们的研究结果表明，植物性食品的种类和经济价值有可能提高当地人口的可持续粮食安全并支持该地区的经济增长。例如，当地市场上未充分利用的作物是开发具有有益营养和健康特性的新食品的潜在物种。此外，某些商品（例如木瓜、卡瓦和萨摩亚可可）似乎有出口前景。此外，我们的研究结果表明，开发适当的加工技术和优化在当地市场销售的作物产品的物流有助于提高区域农业部门的效率。