ISHS Acta Horticulturae 806: International Symposium on Underutilized Plants for Food Security, Nutrition, Income and Sustainable Development
UNDERUTILIZED PLANTS FOR WELL-BEING AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT |
| Authors: | M.P. Jones, S. Sanyang |
| Keywords: | African rice, Oryza glaberrima, agricultural biodiversity initiative for Africa, conservation, sustainable use, new opportunities |
| Abstract:
The International Centre for Underutilised Crops (ICUC), the lead Convener of the International Symposium on Underutilized Plant Species for Food, Nutrition, Income and Sustainable Development aims to stop and reverse biodiversity loss in farming systems. And in so doing, it is concerned with developing agricultural landscapes and markets that work for smallholder farmers and local agricultural entrepreneurs. Underutilized crops have traditionally been used for food, fibre, fodder, oil, and medicinal plants. Their potential contribution to food security, nutrition, health, income generation, and ecosystem services for the wellbeing of mankind is still largely under-exploited. The success of the upland NERICAs in which resides genetic material of the underutilized and lesser cultivated but highly adapted stress resistant African rice, Oryza glaberrima, provides an African success story for the promotion and use of underutilized species. In that regard, the FARA-led Agricultural Biodiversity Initiative for Africa (ABIA), a strategic stakeholder platform, appropriately responds to the challenges and opportunities for creating high profile visibility on the need to promote agro-biodiversity including the conservation and use of neglected plant species for societal well-being. | |
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