Your search found 9 records
1 Mudau, F. N.; Chimonyo, V. G. P.; Modi, A. T.; Mabhaudhi, Tafadzwanashe. 2022. Neglected and underutilised crops: a systematic review of their potential as food and herbal medicinal crops in South Africa. Frontiers in Pharmacology, 12:809866. [doi: https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2021.809866]
Medicinal plants ; Food crops ; Underutilized species ; Food security ; Nutrition security ; Nutraceuticals ; Pharmaceuticals ; Sustainability ; Diets ; Food supplements ; Capacity development / South Africa
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H050904)
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2021.809866/pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H050904.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H050904.pdf
(1.93 MB) (1.93 MB)
The African continent harbours many native species with nutraceutical and pharmaceutical potential. This study reviewed underutilised crops in South Africa to determine their potential as food and herbal medicinal crops. Over 5,000 species have been identified and earmarked for their medical attributes in formal and informal setups. Researchers, plant breeders and policymakers have mostly ignored the development potential of these crops. Consequently, their value chains are poorly developed. In South Africa, there is a wide range of neglected and underutilised crops, which were historically popular and used by communities; however, over the years, they have lost their status within farming systems and been relegated to the status of neglected and underutilised. Recently, driven by the need to transition to more sustainable and resilient food systems, there has been renewed interest in their potential as food and herbal medicinal crops to establish new value chains that include vulnerable groups. They are now gaining global attention, and their conservation and sustainable utilisation are now being prioritized. The review confirmed that several of these crops possess nutraceutical and pharmaceutical properties, highlighting their potential for development as food and herbal medicines. However, current production levels are too low to meet the requirements for industrial development; research and development should focus on all aspects of their value chain, from crop improvement to utilisation. A transdisciplinary approach involving a wide range of actors is needed to develop the identified neglected and underutilised crops’ potential as food and herbal medicinal crops and support the development of new and inclusive value chains.
2 Mabhaudhi, Tafadzwanashe; Hlahla, S.; Chimonyo, V. G. P.; Henriksson, R.; Chibarabada, T. P.; Murugani, V. G.; Groner, V. P.; Tadele, Z.; Sobratee, N.; Slotow, R.; Modi, A. T.; Baudron, F.; Chivenge, P. 2022. Diversity and diversification: ecosystem services derived from underutilized crops and their co-benefits for sustainable agricultural landscapes and resilient food systems in Africa. Frontiers in Agronomy, 4:859223. [doi: https://doi.org/10.3389/fagro.2022.859223]
Biodiversity ; Ecosystem services ; Underutilized species ; Crops ; Diversification ; Sustainable agriculture ; Food security ; Nutrition security ; Poverty alleviation ; Sustainable livelihoods ; Agricultural landscape ; Food systems ; Resilience ; Gender equality ; Role of women ; Income ; Socioeconomic development ; Sustainable Development Goals ; Climate change ; Ecological factors ; Habitats ; Cultural services ; Policies ; Systematic reviews / Africa
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051093)
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fagro.2022.859223/pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051093.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051093.pdf
(2.48 MB) (2.48 MB)
There are growing calls to adopt more sustainable forms of agriculture that balance the need to increase production with environmental, human health, and wellbeing concerns. Part of this conversation has included a debate on promoting and mainstreaming neglected and underutilized crop species (NUS) because they represent a more ecologically friendly type of agriculture. We conducted a systematic review to determine the ecosystem services derived from NUS and assess their potential to promote functional ecological diversity, food and nutritional security, and transition to more equitable, inclusive, sustainable and resilient agricultural landscapes and food systems in Africa. Our literature search yielded 35 articles for further analysis. The review showed that NUS provide various provisioning, regulating, cultural, and supporting ecosystem services and several environmental and health co-benefits, dietary diversity, income, sustainable livelihood outcomes, and economic empowerment, especially for women. Importantly, NUS address the three pillars of sustainable development- ecological, social, and economic. Thus, NUS may provide a sustainable, fit-for-purpose transformative ecosystem-based adaptation solution for Africa to transition to more sustainable, healthy, equitable, and resilient agricultural landscapes and food systems.
3 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.
4 Mugiyo, H.; Chimonyo, V. G. P.; Kunz, R.; Sibanda, M.; Nhamo, L.; Masemola, C. R.; Modi, A. T.; Mabhaudhi, Tafadzwanashe. 2022. Mapping the spatial distribution of underutilised crop species under climate change using the MaxEnt model: a case of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Climate Services, 28:100330. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cliser.2022.100330]
Crop production ; Underutilized species ; Spatial distribution ; Climate change adaptation ; Food security ; Nutrition security ; Sorghum ; Cowpeas ; Amaranthus ; Taro ; Machine learning ; Models ; Forecasting / South Africa / KwaZulu-Natal
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051487)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405880722000486/pdfft?md5=6c4991c59d70a740431da7b2b337a330&pid=1-s2.0-S2405880722000486-main.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051487.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051487.pdf
(9.38 MB) (9.38 MB)
Knowing the spatial and temporal suitability of neglected and underutilised crop species (NUS) is important for fitting them into marginal production areas and cropping systems under climate change. The current study used climate change scenarios to map the future distribution of selected NUS, namely, sorghum (Sorghum bicolor), cowpea (Vigna unguiculata), amaranth (Amaranthus) and taro (Colocasia esculenta) in the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) province, South Africa. The future distribution of NUS was simulated using a maximum entropy (MaxEnt) model using regional circulation models (RCMs) from the CORDEX archive, each driven by a different global circulation model (GCM), for the years 2030 to 2070. The study showed an increase of 0.1–11.8% under highly suitable (S1), moderately suitable (S2), and marginally suitable (S3) for sorghum, cowpea, and amaranth growing areas from 2030 to 2070 across all RCPs. In contrast, the total highly suitable area for taro production is projected to decrease by 0.3–9.78% across all RCPs. The jack-knife tests of the MaxEnt model performed efficiently, with areas under the curve being more significant than 0.8. The study identified annual precipitation, length of the growing period, and minimum and maximum temperature as variables contributing significantly to model predictions. The developed maps indicate possible changes in the future suitability of NUS within the KZN province. Understanding the future distribution of NUS is useful for developing transformative climate change adaptation strategies that consider future crop distribution. It is recommended to develop regionally differentiated climate-smart agriculture production guidelines matched to spatial and temporal variability in crop suitability.
5 Chimonyo, V. G. P.; Chibarabada, T. P.; Choruma, D. J.; Kunz, R.; Walker, S.; Massawe, F.; Modi, A. T.; Mabhaudhi, Tafadzwanashe. 2022. Modelling neglected and underutilised crops: a systematic review of progress, challenges, and opportunities. Sustainability, 14(21):13931. (Special issue: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Mainstreaming Underutilized Crops) [doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/su142113931]
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051496)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/21/13931/pdf?version=1666790014
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051496.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051496.pdf
(0.91 MB) (930 KB)
Developing and promoting neglected and underutilised crops (NUS) is essential to building resilience and strengthening food systems. However, a lack of robust, reliable, and scalable evidence impedes the mainstreaming of NUS into policies and strategies to improve food and nutrition security. Well-calibrated and validated crop models can be useful in closing the gap by generating evidence at several spatiotemporal scales needed to inform policy and practice. We, therefore, assessed progress, opportunities, and challenges for modelling NUS using a systematic review. While several models have been calibrated for a range of NUS, few models have been applied to evaluate the growth, yield, and resource use efficiencies of NUS. The low progress in modelling NUS is due, in part, to the vast diversity found within NUS that available models cannot adequately capture. A general lack of research compounds this focus on modelling NUS, which is made even more difficult by a deficiency of robust and accurate ecophysiological data needed to parameterise crop models. Furthermore, opportunities exist for advancing crop model databases and knowledge by tapping into big data and machine learning.
6 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.
7 Kawarazuka, N.; Mabhaudhi, Tafadzwanashe; Green, R.; Scheelbeek, P.; Ambikapathi, R.; Robinson, J.; Mangnus, E.; Bene, C.; Cavatassi, R.; Kalita, U.; Gelcich, S.; Cheserek, M.; Mbago-Bhunu, S.; Trevenen-Jones, A. 2023. Inclusive diets within planetary boundaries. One Earth, 6(5):443-448. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oneear.2023.05.003]
Healthy diets ; Inclusion ; Gender ; Food systems ; Underutilized species ; Food production ; Nutrition ; Feeding preferences ; Economic aspects ; Stakeholders
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051961)
(3.02 MB)
Our food production system is unsustainable and threatening planetary boundaries. Yet, a quarter of the global population still lacks access to safe and nutritious food, while suboptimal diets account for 11 million adult deaths per year. This Voices asks: what critical barriers must be overcome to enable sustainable, healthy, accessible, and equitable diets for all?
8 Abrahams, M.; Sibanda, M.; Dube, T.; Chimonyo, V. G. P.; Mabhaudhi, Tafadzwanashe. 2023. A systematic review of UAV applications for mapping neglected and underutilised crop species’ spatial distribution and health. Remote Sensing, 15(19):4672. (Special issue: Crops and Vegetation Monitoring with Remote/Proximal Sensing II) [doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/rs15194672]
Underutilized species ; Mapping ; Unmanned aerial vehicles ; Plant health ; Crop production ; Remote sensing ; Machine learning ; Food security ; Precision agriculture ; Spatial distribution ; Stomatal conductance ; Smallholders ; Farmland ; Vegetation index ; Systematic reviews
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H052234)
https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/15/19/4672/pdf?version=1695462413
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H052234.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H052234.pdf
(11.70 MB) (11.7 MB)
Timely, accurate spatial information on the health of neglected and underutilised crop species (NUS) is critical for optimising their production and food and nutrition in developing countries. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) equipped with multispectral sensors have significantly advanced remote sensing, enabling the provision of near-real-time data for crop analysis at the plot level in small, fragmented croplands where NUS are often grown. The objective of this study was to systematically review the literature on the remote sensing (RS) of the spatial distribution and health of NUS, evaluating the progress, opportunities, challenges, and associated research gaps. This study systematically reviewed 171 peer-reviewed articles from Google Scholar, Scopus, and Web of Science using the PRISMA approach. The findings of this study showed that the United States (n = 18) and China (n = 17) were the primary study locations, with some contributions from the Global South, including southern Africa. The observed NUS crop attributes included crop yield, growth, leaf area index (LAI), above-ground biomass (AGB), and chlorophyll content. Only 29% of studies explored stomatal conductance and the spatial distribution of NUS. Twenty-one studies employed satellite-borne sensors, while only eighteen utilised UAV-borne sensors in conjunction with machine learning (ML), multivariate, and generic GIS classification techniques for mapping the spatial extent and health of NUS. The use of UAVs in mapping NUS is progressing slowly, particularly in the Global South, due to exorbitant purchasing and operational costs, as well as restrictive regulations. Subsequently, research efforts must be directed toward combining ML techniques and UAV-acquired data to monitor NUS’ spatial distribution and health to provide necessary information for optimising food production in smallholder croplands in the Global South.
9 Karunaratne, A. S.; Wimalasiri, E. M.; Esham, M.; Mabhaudhi, Tafadzwanashe; Jahanshiri, E. 2024. Crop modelling - underutilized crops for climate-smart agrifood systems. Editorial. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 8:1305909. [doi: https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2024.1305909]
Crop modelling ; Underutilized species ; Climate-smart agriculture ; Climate change ; Agrobiodiversity ; Resilience ; Food security
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H052691)
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2024.1305909/pdf?isPublishedV2=False
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H052691.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H052691.pdf
(0.07 MB) (89.8 KB)
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