The issue of diminishing nutritional security is a global concern, as agricultural land is becoming increasingly scarce, water for irrigation is becoming increasingly expensive and difficult to obtain, and the availability of labor is decreasing. This has led to increased attention on the need for future crops and alternative sources of nutrition. To address this issue, an all-inclusive international organization for future crops has been established under the CGIAR umbrella. Horticultural crops, including vegetables, fruits, ornamentals, medicinal plants, and aromatic plants, are particularly noteworthy due to the large number of plants with potential edible uses and significant nutritive value. Many of these plants are considered wild weeds in certain parts of the world, but are consumed as food in other parts of the world. Additionally, some of these plants are used for phytosanitation and phytoremediation, but are now being recognized as raw materials for biofuel production. The depletion of natural resources, including energy and water, due to climate change and the resulting global warming and ozone depletion, is also a pressing concern.

Section I. Vegetables and Tubers: 1. Capsicum chinense Jacq. (Mali Mulaku) by P. Indira. 2. Minor greens and salads by C. Mini. 3. Future leaf vegetables by B. Varalakshmi. 4. Vigna dalzelliama (O. Kuntzc) Verdc. . A wild legume from Eastern Ghats of Peninsular India by L. Rama Murthy and D. Thangadourai. 5. White Yam (Dioscorea rotundata Poir) by Oyetunzi and Olusola Jacob. Section II. Fruits: 6. Underutilized Nut Fruits of Hills by G. Pandey, D. Pandey and S.K. Shukla. 7. Lesser known edible fruits of North Eastern India by R.K. Patel, L.C. De, Akath Singh and C. Bidyut Deka. 8. Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis Park) by Sarah T. George and P.S. Manoj. 9. Nectarine - A new promising fruit crop for mid hills by Jayant Kumar and Kishore Khosla. 10. Pecan nut by J.M. Badyal and S.K. Upadhyay. 11. Persimmon (Diospyros kaki Thunb) by Kazutoshi Hamada. 12. Aonla (Emblica officinalis Gaertn.) - Value added products by Pareek Sunil. 13. Jack fruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) - Nutritional data, medicinal values and uses by Sudha George Valavi and Lisa Thottapilly. Section III. Ornamental Plants: 14. Cleome gynandra. nutritional and medicinal properties by E. Van Den Heever, S.L. Venter and W.S. Jansen Van Rensburg. 15. Ornamentals for essentials oils by A. Sobhana. Section IV. Medicinal Plants: 16. Sambucus nigra L. in Catalonia (Iberian Peninsula) by Joan Valles, Maria Angels Bonet, Teresa Garnatje, Joan Muntane, Montse Parada and Montse Rigat. 17. Underutilized medicinal plants of Uttarakhand Hills by Shailesh Tripathi and V.K. Sah. 18. Seabuckthorn. A new underutilized fruit crops by Brahma Singh