{"title":"Underutilized crops for diverse, resilient and healthy agri-food systems: a systematic review of sub-Saharan Africa.","authors":"Mendy Ndlovu, Pauline Scheelbeek, Mjabuliseni Ngidi, Tafadzwanashe Mabhaudhi","doi":"10.3389/fsufs.2024.1498402","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) faces increasing water scarcity, food and nutrition insecurity, poverty and inequality under climate change. Under these circumstances, promoting locally adapted and nutrient-dense crops is touted as a plausible climate adaptation strategy. We reviewed the utility of neglected and underutilized crop species (NUS) as a climate change adaptation strategy to diversify local food systems and diets and improve nutritional health and environmental outcomes in SSA. We conducted a systematic literature review using Web of Science and Scopus research databases. Of the 1,545 studies retrieved, 75 were included following a multi-level screening process on Covidence guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The review consolidates fragmented knowledge on the application of NUS in different contexts. Despite growing interest, NUS remain gendered and stigmatized crops, marginalized and fragmented in research, development, and marketing efforts and lack explicit support from policy and decision-makers. Despite rhetoric purporting to support them, there is a worrying rise in policies and regulations that inadvertently hinder the development of these crops and reinforce dependence on a narrow basket of crops for food and nutrition security, undermining food sovereignty. Some NUS have received increasing recognition for their potential in the past decade. However, this is neither universal nor systematic, which makes scaling up necessary but challenging. Consequently, progress in mainstreaming NUS in local food systems continues to lag. Despite these challenges, NUS remain sub-Saharan Africa's better-bet option for diversifying food systems and transitioning them to be equitable, inclusive, resilient and healthy; hence, NUS provide positive outcomes for people and the planet under climate change.</p>","PeriodicalId":36666,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems","volume":"8 ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.7000,"publicationDate":"2024-11-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7617609/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems","FirstCategoryId":"97","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2024.1498402","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"FOOD SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) faces increasing water scarcity, food and nutrition insecurity, poverty and inequality under climate change. Under these circumstances, promoting locally adapted and nutrient-dense crops is touted as a plausible climate adaptation strategy. We reviewed the utility of neglected and underutilized crop species (NUS) as a climate change adaptation strategy to diversify local food systems and diets and improve nutritional health and environmental outcomes in SSA. We conducted a systematic literature review using Web of Science and Scopus research databases. Of the 1,545 studies retrieved, 75 were included following a multi-level screening process on Covidence guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The review consolidates fragmented knowledge on the application of NUS in different contexts. Despite growing interest, NUS remain gendered and stigmatized crops, marginalized and fragmented in research, development, and marketing efforts and lack explicit support from policy and decision-makers. Despite rhetoric purporting to support them, there is a worrying rise in policies and regulations that inadvertently hinder the development of these crops and reinforce dependence on a narrow basket of crops for food and nutrition security, undermining food sovereignty. Some NUS have received increasing recognition for their potential in the past decade. However, this is neither universal nor systematic, which makes scaling up necessary but challenging. Consequently, progress in mainstreaming NUS in local food systems continues to lag. Despite these challenges, NUS remain sub-Saharan Africa's better-bet option for diversifying food systems and transitioning them to be equitable, inclusive, resilient and healthy; hence, NUS provide positive outcomes for people and the planet under climate change.
在气候变化的影响下,撒哈拉以南非洲面临着日益严重的水资源短缺、粮食和营养不安全、贫困和不平等。在这种情况下,推广适合当地的、营养密集的作物被吹捧为一种合理的气候适应策略。我们回顾了被忽视和未充分利用的作物物种(NUS)作为气候变化适应策略的效用,以使当地粮食系统和饮食多样化,并改善SSA的营养健康和环境结果。我们使用Web of Science和Scopus研究数据库进行了系统的文献综述。在检索到的1545项研究中,75项研究是在系统评价和荟萃分析(PRISMA)指南的首选报告项目指导下进行的冠状病毒多级筛选过程中纳入的。这篇综述整合了关于NUS在不同背景下应用的零散知识。尽管人们对国大的兴趣越来越大,但国大的作物仍然是性别化和污名化的,在研究、开发和营销方面被边缘化和分散,缺乏政策和决策者的明确支持。尽管口头上声称支持这些作物,但令人担忧的是,政策和法规的增加无意中阻碍了这些作物的发展,并使粮食和营养安全更加依赖少数几种作物,从而破坏了粮食主权。在过去的十年里,一些新加坡国立大学的潜力得到了越来越多的认可。然而,这既不是普遍的,也不是系统的,这使得扩大规模是必要的,但也具有挑战性。因此,将NUS纳入当地粮食系统主流的进展仍然滞后。尽管面临这些挑战,新加坡国立大学仍然是撒哈拉以南非洲实现粮食系统多样化并将其转变为公平、包容、有弹性和健康的更好选择;因此,在气候变化的背景下,国大为人类和地球提供了积极的成果。