Your search found 2 records
1 Nhamo, L.; Paterson, G.; van der Walt, M.; Moeletsi, M.; Modi, A.; Kunz, R.; Chimonyo, V.; Masupha, T.; Mpandeli, S.; Liphadzi, S.; Molwantwa, J.; Mabhaudhi, Tafadzwanashe. 2022. Optimal production areas of underutilized indigenous crops and their role under climate change: focus on Bambara groundnut. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 6:990213. [doi: https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2022.990213]
Crop production ; Bambara groundnut ; Vigna subterranea ; Underutilized species ; Indigenous organisms ; Climate change adaptation ; Strategies ; Resilience ; Dryland farming ; Land suitability ; Food security ; Water security ; Rain ; Geographical information systems / South Africa / Limpopo
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051486)
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2022.990213/pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051486.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051486.pdf
(2.66 MB) (2.66 MB)
Food demand in Africa continues to outstrip local supply, and the continent currently spends over US$35 billion annually on food imports to supplement local deficits. With the advances in agronomy and breeding, commercial crops like maize (Zea mays) and soybean (Glycine max) in the region are under threat from climate change, decreasing rainfall and degraded lands. Unlike commercial crops that are generally adapted from other regions, underutilized indigenous crops are uniquely suited to local environments and are more resilient to climatic variations and tolerant to local pests and diseases. This study, done in Limpopo Province, South Africa, identifies optimal areas for cultivating Bambara groundnuts (Vigna subterannea), an indigenous crop suitable for arid and semi-arid regions. The aim is to promote the production of underutilized indigenous crops at a large scale with fewer resources, while still meeting local demand and reducing the food import budget. Suitability maps are delineated using a multicriteria decision method in a Geographic Information System (GIS). The procedure is important for diversifying farming systems, making them more resilient (to biotic and abiotic stresses and climate change) and more successful at enhancing water, food and nutritional security. With the province’s limited water and land resources for agriculture expansion, promoting indigenous underutilized crops is a pathway to reduce water allocated to agriculture, thereby enhancing drought resilience and ensuring water, food and nutritional security. Large tracts of degraded agricultural land deemed unsuitable for adapted crops, and which may require costly land reclamation practices, can be used to cultivate underutilized crops that are adapted to extreme local conditions.
2 Mateva, K. I.; Tan, X. L.; Halimi, R. A.; Chai, H. H.; Makonya, G. M.; Gao, X.; Shayanowako, A. I. T.; Ho, W. K.; Tanzi, A. S.; Farrant, J.; Mabhaudhi, T.; King, G. J.; Mayes, S.; Massawe, F. 2023. Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdc.). In Farooq, M.; Siddique, K. H. M. (Eds.). Neglected and underutilized crops: future smart food. London, UK: Academic Press. pp.557-615. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-323-90537-4.00021-1]
Bambara groundnut ; Vigna subterranea ; Underutilized species ; Food systems ; Nutritive value ; Value chain analysis ; Economic viability ; Policies ; Food security ; Genomics ; Plant growth ; Climate change ; Climate resilience ; Abiotic stress ; Drought resistance ; Biotic stress ; Pest resistance ; Photoperiodicity ; Farmers ; Consumers / Africa
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051766)
(0.79 MB)
Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdc.) represents an untapped potential for developing robust food systems. This promising but underutilized African grain legume has high nutritional qualities comparable to popular and widely consumed legumes, as well as exceptional resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses. In addition, the crop can grow on a range of soils, fix atmospheric nitrogen, and enhance soil fertility, making its production truly climate-resilient. Third to peanut (Arachis hypogaea L) and cowpeas (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp.) in terms of production and consumption in sub-Saharan Africa, Bambara groundnut is set to increase in importance as current food production systems become more diverse, and this is also evident in the steady increase in yield and area harvested across the west, east, and southern Africa over the past 25 years. Despite these relevant characteristics, the potential of Bambara groundnut in improving food systems is hindered by a lack of agricultural policy around the value chain, consistent phenological development, i.e., sensitivity to long photoperiods, and a phenomenon referred to as hard-to-cook (HTC) during poststorage processing. Over the years, research efforts have led to a more optimistic outlook for Bambara groundnut’s ability to overcome these challenges. However, a concerted policy push by African governments, with technical and financial support from regional organizations, is still required to boost research uptake to realize the crop's full potential. This chapter provides comprehensive evidence of Bambara groundnut as a “future smart food.” It details the challenges that need to be addressed and production systems thinking solutions to harness the full potential of this less-mainstream crop.
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