Role of Underutilized Crop Value Chains in Rural Food and Income Security in Sri Lanka

Agricultural value chain is fundamental to the survival of human society, the growth or maintenance of regional and national economies, and the wealth and welfare of individual producers. Few staple food crops holding the lion's loin of food and income security of the rural farming communities where the role of unrecognized and underutilized crops was invisible. Previous researches and many past applications were focused on individual elements of the value chain rather than the holistic view. Complex interacting drivers in production, processing, marketing, consumption, environment and the people were neglected and this limitation hiders the recognition of underutilized crops. Our paper takes a critical stock take of underutilized crop value chains in Sri Lanka and focused to identify its role in rural food and income security with special concern to the availability of those crops at respective village markets and at their own household premises. Study aimed to map the underutilized crop value chain and describe its upstream and downstream nodes, agents, functions, and products. For the purpose of this study, mixed methods approach was employed which focuses on research questions that call for real-life contextual understandings on value chain agents, multi-level perspectives, both vertical and horizontal linkages and cultural interpretations. We employed qualitative research exploring the meaning and understanding of constructs; utilizing multiple methods (rapid market chain analysis). Value chain architecture explains the structure, agents, and strength of the relationships. Downstream composed of two main nodes, farmers, wild collectors and traders or village level collectors link with the upstream. Primary processors, secondary processors, wholesalers, retailers, and consumers were the key upstream agents. Chain structure heavily depends on the type of crop. Downstream activities depends on location, water availability, season and market demand which decides the crop mix. Informal collecting centres were common and village level collectors link farmers and wild collectors with upstream. Upstream activities were more concern on value addition and creation and the agents were multifunctional. Food basket analysis highlighted that underutilized crops were more attracted to urban consumers than the rural. Meal analysis revealed that considerable amount of underutilized crops consumed at household level were own production or wild collection. Complex and indirect income generation process was unrecognized yet.