Neglected and underutilized crop

Last updated

Neglected and underutilised crops are domesticated plant species used for food, medicine, trading, or cultural practices within local communities but not widely commodified or studied as part of mainstream agriculture. [1] [2] Such crops may be in declining production. [3] They are considered underutilised in scientific inquiry for their perceived potential to contribute to knowledge regarding nutrition, food security, genetic resistance, or sustainability. [4] Other terms to describe such crops include minor, orphan, underused, local, traditional, alternative, minor, niche, or underdeveloped. [5]

Contents

Cherimoya (Annona cherimola) on sale in Cali, Colombia. In left background: domestically produced mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana) Cherimoya (Annona cherimola) in Cali Colombia.JPG
Cherimoya ( Annona cherimola ) on sale in Cali, Colombia. In left background: domestically produced mangosteen ( Garcinia mangostana )
Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea) from Buzi district in Mozambique Vigna subterranea (4350578751).jpg
Bambara groundnut ( Vigna subterranea ) from Buzi district in Mozambique

Overview

Landscape with quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa), Cachilaya
, Bolivia, Province La Paz, Lake Titicaca seen in background. Landscape with Chenopodium quinoa Cachilaya Bolivia Lake Titicaca.jpg
Landscape with quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa), Cachilaya , Bolivia, Province La Paz, Lake Titicaca seen in background.

Three crops: maize, wheat, and rice, account for approximately 50% of the world's consumption of calories and protein, [6] and about 95% of the world's food needs are provided by just 30 species of plants. [7] Despite this, the list of crop species compiled as edible extends to around 12,650. [8] Among these are plants that have been used for food and other uses on a larger scale historically, but whose usage has dropped in modern times.

Reduction in use is due to supply or consumption constraints, poor shelf life, unrecognised nutritional value, poor consumer awareness, and perception as famine food ("poor people's food"), partially due to the modernisation of agricultural practices. Some crops experienced genetic erosion of their gene pool due to this neglect, which resulted in them becoming regarded as lost crops. [9]

As the demand for plant and crop attributes changes (reappraisal or discovery of nutritional traits, culinary value, adaptation to climate change, etc.), some previously neglected crops, such as oil palm, soybean, and kiwifruit, have overcome such constraints via more large-scale production and use, becoming regarded as globally significant crops. [10] [11] Alongside their commercial potential, many underused crops such as sorghum provide essential environmental services as they have adapted to marginal soil and climate conditions. [12]

Underutilised crops continue to play a vital role in the subsistence and economy of people in low and middle-income countries, particularly in the agro-biodiversity rich tropics. For example, chirimoya and bambara crops produced in Colombia and Mozambique respectively, aid the local population in food security, allowing them physical and economic access to sufficient food for meeting their dietary needs, even during a famine. [13] [14]

Definition

There is no consensus on what defines an underutilised crop, but they often display the following attributes:

Neglected crops are primarily grown by traditional farmers. These species may be widely distributed beyond their centers of origin but tend to occupy unique niches in the local production and consumption systems. They are critical for the subsistence of local communities yet remain poorly documented and neglected by mainstream research and development activities. [16] Many staple crops, especially in the developing world, are poorly studied by researchers. For example, the Green Revolution saw massive changes in agricultural productivity in Asia, but African crops saw little benefit. [17]

Examples

Village chief of Boula Tene, [Senegal] Theodore Mada Keita, holds up the fonio grain (Digitaria exilis) that helps feed his family. SEN Village Chief Theodore.jpg
Village chief of Boula Téné, [Senegal] Theodore Mada Keita, holds up the fonio grain ( Digitaria exilis ) that helps feed his family.

Determination of the underutilized status of a crop varies among researchers. Different criteria and approaches are used to define this particular group of crops.

Neglect refers to the lack of attention a crop may receive through research and development and can be evaluated by how well national and international policy or legal frameworks and research and development programs can support the conservation and sustainable use of a crop. Underutilisation is particular to the geography and potential for a crop to contribute to better diets and production systems. In cases where exotic or diversified species are underutilised in a particular region, these may not necessarily be underutilised in other parts of the world. [9] Below is a non-exhaustive list of neglected and underutilised species.

It is important to recognise the potential negative impact on communities that historically use so-called underutilised crops. For example, as quinoa came into international focus, its price in South America surged by 600%, pushing the grain outside the reach of traditional use communities. [18]

Cereal and pseudocereal crops

Fruits and nuts species

Ziziphus mauritiana (dry fruits) for sale at the Luangwa turn-off on Great East road, Zambia. Ziziphus mauritiana (dry fruits).jpg
Ziziphus mauritiana (dry fruits) for sale at the Luangwa turn-off on Great East road, Zambia.

Vegetable and pulse crops

Ipomoea aquatica photographed in the Sunday Market, Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia Ipomoea aquatica.jpg
Ipomoea aquatica photographed in the Sunday Market, Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia

Root and tuber crops

Ulluco tubers (Ullucus tuberosus) for sale in southern Peru Ullucus tuberosus (South Peru).jpg
Ulluco tubers ( Ullucus tuberosus ) for sale in southern Peru

Other crops

Industrial underutilized crops

Bixa orellana fruit open, showing the seeds from which annatto is extracted, photographed in Campinas, Brazil Bixa orellana fruit open.jpg
Bixa orellana fruit open, showing the seeds from which annatto is extracted, photographed in Campinas, Brazil

Oil seeds

International events that fostered underutilized crops

Logo of the international year of Quinoa 2013 Jaro kvinoo 2012 slogano.jpg
Logo of the international year of Quinoa 2013

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quinoa</span> Edible plant in the family Amaranthaceae

Quinoa is a flowering plant in the amaranth family. It is a herbaceous annual plant grown as a crop primarily for its edible seeds; the seeds are rich in protein, dietary fiber, B vitamins and dietary minerals in amounts greater than in many grains. Quinoa is not a grass but rather a pseudocereal botanically related to spinach and amaranth, and originated in the Andean region of northwestern South America. It was first used to feed livestock 5,200–7,000 years ago, and for human consumption 3,000–4,000 years ago in the Lake Titicaca basin of Peru and Bolivia.

The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, is a comprehensive international agreement in harmony with the Convention on Biological Diversity, which aims at guaranteeing food security through the conservation, exchange and sustainable use of the world's plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA), the fair and equitable benefit sharing arising from its use, as well as the recognition of farmers' rights. It was signed in 2001 in Madrid, and entered into force on 29 June 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cowpea</span> Species of plant

The cowpea is an annual herbaceous legume from the genus Vigna. Its tolerance for sandy soil and low rainfall have made it an important crop in the semiarid regions across Africa and Asia. It requires very few inputs, as the plant's root nodules are able to fix atmospheric nitrogen, making it a valuable crop for resource-poor farmers and well-suited to intercropping with other crops. The whole plant is used as forage for animals, with its use as cattle feed likely responsible for its name.

<i>Vigna subterranea</i> Species of plant

Vigna subterranea is a member of the family Fabaceae. Its name is derived from the Bambara ethnic group. The plant originated in West Africa. As a food and source of income, the Bambara groundnut is considered to be the third most important leguminous crop in those African countries where it is grown, after peanut and cowpea. The crop is mainly cultivated, sold and processed by women, and is, thus, particularly valuable for female subsistence farmers.

<i>Annona</i> Genus of fruits and plants

Annona or Anona is a genus of flowering plants in the pawpaw/sugar apple family, Annonaceae. It is the second largest genus in the family after Guatteria, containing approximately 166 species of mostly Neotropical and Afrotropical trees and shrubs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agricultural biodiversity</span> Agricultural concept

Agricultural biodiversity or agrobiodiversity is a subset of general biodiversity pertaining to agriculture. It can be defined as "the variety and variability of animals, plants and micro-organisms at the genetic, species and ecosystem levels that sustain the ecosystem structures, functions and processes in and around production systems, and that provide food and non-food agricultural products.” It is managed by farmers, pastoralists, fishers and forest dwellers, agrobiodiversity provides stability, adaptability and resilience and constitutes a key element of the livelihood strategies of rural communities throughout the world. Agrobiodiversity is central to sustainable food systems and sustainable diets. The use of agricultural biodiversity can contribute to food security, nutrition security, and livelihood security, and it is critical for climate adaptation and climate mitigation.

<i>Vigna umbellata</i> Species of flowering plant

Vigna umbellata, previously Phaseolus calcaratus, is a warm-season annual vine legume with yellow flowers and small edible beans. It is commonly called ricebean or rice bean. To date, it is little known, little researched and little exploited. It is regarded as a minor food and fodder crop and is often grown as intercrop or mixed crop with maize, sorghum or cowpea, as well as a sole crop in the uplands, on a very limited area. Like the other Asiatic Vigna species, ricebean is a fairly short-lived warm-season annual. Grown mainly as a dried pulse, it is also important as a fodder, a green manure and a vegetable. Ricebean is most widely grown as an intercrop, particularly of maize, throughout Indo-China and extending into southern China, India, Nepal and Bangladesh. In the past it was widely grown as lowland crop on residual soil water after the harvest of long-season rice, but it has been displaced to a great extent where shorter duration rice varieties are grown. Ricebean grows well on a range of soils. It establishes rapidly and has the potential to produce large amounts of nutritious animal fodder and high quality grain.

<i>Annona reticulata</i> Species of tree

Annona reticulata is a small deciduous or semi-evergreen tree in the plant family Annonaceae. It is best known for its fruit, called custard apple, a common name shared with fruits of several other species in the same genus: A. cherimola and A. squamosa. Other English common names include ox heart and bullock's heart. The fruit is sweet and useful in preparation of desserts, but is generally less popular for eating than that of A. cherimola.

<i>Chenopodium pallidicaule</i> Species of plant

Chenopodium pallidicaule, known as cañihua, canihua or cañahua and also kañiwa or kaniwa, is a species of goosefoot, similar in character and uses to the closely related quinoa.

<i>Digitaria exilis</i> Species of grass

Digitaria exilis, referred to as findi or fundi in areas of Africa, such as The Gambia, with English common names white fonio, fonio millet, and hungry rice or acha rice, is a grass species. It is the most important of a diverse group of wild and domesticated Digitaria species known as fonio that are harvested in the savannas of West Africa. The grains are very small. It has potential to improve nutrition, boost food security, foster rural development and support sustainable use of the land. Despite its valuable characteristics and widespread cultivation, fonio has generally received limited research and development attention, which is also why the species is sometimes referred to as an underutilized crop.

<i>Chenopodium berlandieri</i> Species of edible flowering plant

Chenopodium berlandieri, also known by the common names pitseed goosefoot, lamb's quarters, and huauzontle (Nahuatl) is an annual herbaceous plant in the family Amaranthaceae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crop wild relative</span> Wild plant closely related to a domesticated plant

A crop wild relative (CWR) is a wild plant closely related to a domesticated plant. It may be a wild ancestor of the domesticated (cultivated) plant or another closely related taxon.

Crop diversity or crop biodiversity is the variety and variability of crops, plants used in agriculture, including their genetic and phenotypic characteristics. It is a subset of a specific element of agricultural biodiversity. Over the past 50 years, there has been a major decline in two components of crop diversity; genetic diversity within each crop and the number of species commonly grown.

Deficit irrigation (DI) is a watering strategy that can be applied by different types of irrigation application methods. The correct application of DI requires thorough understanding of the yield response to water and of the economic impact of reductions in harvest. In regions where water resources are restrictive it can be more profitable for a farmer to maximize crop water productivity instead of maximizing the harvest per unit land. The saved water can be used for other purposes or to irrigate extra units of land. DI is sometimes referred to as incomplete supplemental irrigation or regulated DI.

<i>Chenopodium giganteum</i> Species of flowering plant

Chenopodium giganteum, also known as tree spinach, is an annual, upright many-branched shrub with a stem diameter of up to 5 cm at the base, that can grow to a height of up to 3 m.

The World Vegetable Center (WorldVeg), previously known as the Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center (AVRDC), is an international, nonprofit institute for vegetable research and development. It was founded in 1971 in Shanhua, southern Taiwan, by the Asian Development Bank, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, the Philippines, Thailand, the United States and South Vietnam.

Crops For the Future, known by its acronym CFF, is an independent international organisation with a mandate to promote and facilitate the greater use of neglected and underutilised crops for enhanced diversification of agricultural systems and human diets, particularly for the benefit of poor people in developing countries. Crops for the Future is the only such organisation exclusively dedicated to an agenda increasingly recognised as important to achieving food security in a sustainable manner and making use of local agricultural biodiversity. Crops for the Future is based in Semenyih, Malaysia, and is governed by a Board of Directors, including a representative of the Government of Malaysia.

John Trevor Williams was a British plant geneticist who was instrumental in the creation of plant gene banks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Center for Biosaline Agriculture</span>

International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA) is an international, not-for-profit applied agricultural research center with a unique focus on marginal environments. It identifies, tests and introduces resource-efficient, climate-smart crops and technologies that are best suited to different regions affected by salinity, water scarcity and drought. Through its work, ICBA aims to improve food security, nutrition and livelihoods of resource-poor farming communities around the world.

References

  1. Jain, Shri Mohan; Gupta, S. Dutta, eds. (2013). Biotechnology of Neglected and Underutilized Crops. Springer. p. v. ISBN   978-94-007-5499-7 . Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  2. Padulosi, Stefano. "Bring NUS back to the table!". ECDPM: The Centre for Africa-Europe Relations. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  3. Hammer, Karl; Heller, Joachim (1997). "Promoting the conservation and use of underutilized and neglected crops". Schriften zu Genetischen Ressourcen. 8: 223.
  4. Jain, Shri Mohan; Gupta, S. Dutta, eds. (2013). Biotechnology of Neglected and Underutilized Crops. Springer. p. vi. ISBN   978-94-007-5499-7 . Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  5. Padulosi, Stefano. "Bring NUS back to the table!". ECDPM: The Centre for Africa-Europe Relations. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  6. FAO (1997). The State of the World's Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (PDF). Rome: FAO.
  7. J. R., Harlan (1975). Crops and Man. Wisconsin: Crop Science Society of America.
  8. Kunkel, G. (1984). Plants for Human Consumption. Koenigstein, Germany: Koeltz Scientific Books.
  9. 1 2 J. T. Williams; N. Haq (2002). Global research on underutilized crops - an assessment of current activities and proposals for enhanced cooperation. Southampton, UK: International Centre for Underutilised Crops. ISBN   978-92-9043-545-7 . Retrieved 21 August 2013.
  10. "Are forgotten crops the future of food?". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 2024-01-05.
  11. LEFEBVRE, LYSIANE; LABORDE, DAVID; PIÑEIRO, VALERIA (2023-06-05). "Bringing back neglected crops: A food and climate solution for Africa". www.ifpri.org. Retrieved 2024-01-05.
  12. Lamb, Austin; Weers, Brock; McKinley, Brian; Rooney, William; Morgan, Cristine; Marshall-Colon, Amy; Mullet, John (2021-12-14). "Bioenergy sorghum's deep roots: A key to sustainable biomass production on annual cropland". GCB Bioenergy. 14 (2): 132–156. doi: 10.1111/gcbb.12907 . ISSN   1757-1693.
  13. Van Damme, P.; Scheldeman, X. (1999-08-01). "Commercial Development of Cherimoya (Annona Cherimola Mill.) in Latin America". Acta Horticulturae (497): 17–42. doi:10.17660/ActaHortic.1999.497.1. ISSN   0567-7572.
  14. Charrua, Alberto B.; Havik, Philip J.; Bandeira, Salomão; Catarino, Luís; Ribeiro-Barros, Ana; Cabral, Pedro; Moldão, Margarida; Romeiras, Maria M. (2021-07-08). "Food Security and Nutrition in Mozambique: Comparative Study with Bean Species Commercialised in Informal Markets". Sustainability. 13 (16): 8839. doi: 10.3390/su13168839 . hdl: 10451/51002 . ISSN   2071-1050.
  15. Hammer, Karl; Heller J; Engels J (February 2001). "Monographs on underutilized and neglected crops". Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution. 48 (1): 3–5. doi:10.1023/A:1011253924058. S2CID   6582337.
  16. IPGRI (2002). Neglected and underutilized plant species: Strategic Action Plan of the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute. International Plant Genetic Resources Institute. ISBN   978-92-9043-529-7 . Retrieved 21 August 2013.
  17. Tadele, Zerihun; Assefa, Kebebew (December 2012). "Increasing Food Production in Africa by Boosting the Productivity of Understudied Crops". Agronomy. 2 (4): 240–283. doi: 10.3390/agronomy2040240 .
  18. McDonell, Emma. "The Quinoa Boom Goes Bust in the Andes". ncla.org: The North American Congress on Latin America. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
  19. O'Malley, Brendan (26 November 2008). "New centre to boost knowledge on underutilised crops". SciDev.Net. Retrieved 21 August 2013.
  20. "Centre to research under-utilised crops". The Star Online. 27 June 2011. Archived from the original on 2017-09-20. Retrieved 21 August 2013.
  21. FAO (10 December 2012). "Neglected crops need a rethink - can help world face the food security challenges of the future, says Graziano da Silva". FAO Media Centre. Retrieved 17 December 2012.
  22. FAO (20 February 2013). "Official launch of the International Year of Quinoa" (PDF). Retrieved 28 August 2013.