Call for return of crops for global food basket

Smart ways need to be found to solve nutritional problems, experts say

Foods that have long been neglected and underused can help developing countries ward off hunger in their drive for sustainable development, analysts say.

"Many poor countries in Asia are still struggling to feed their people," said Kadambot Siddique, director of the University of Western Australia Institute of Agriculture. Just three crops－rice, wheat, and maize－now provide about 60 percent of the world's food energy intake.

"If we want to defeat hunger and malnutrition, we need to diversify our agricultural systems and to incorporate a wide range of nutritious and resilient crops, crops that once flourished in the region and provided much-needed nutrition."

Researchers at the University of Western Australia, including Professor Siddique as one of the lead researchers, and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization have identified more than 150 varieties of what are called "forgotten" crops. These are cereals, roots, nuts, pulses, fruits and vegetables that were once common but have been virtually ignored since the green revolution of the 1950s and '60s.

At the time, high-yielding varieties of rice, wheat and corn were introduced to poor countries to ward off hunger. It also required large amounts of pesticide and fertilizer.

While these grains filled the bellies of the poor, they were not getting the nutritional value of the older crops once traditionally consumed.

Since the green revolution, crops such as foxtail millet, drumstick, elephant foot yam and taro have been virtually ignored.

"These are the neglected crops," Siddique said. "Crops that have been domesticated since ancient times have been mostly forgotten or are unused today. These crops, adapted to their local area, were resilient to environmental challenges and highly nutritious."

The challenge today will be changing current agricultural practices, which include just a few crops, to a more diverse selection such as those once grown that would make a promising approach to closing current gaps in production and nutrition in Asia, the study said.

The 150 species of food now neglected in favor of mainstream staple crops were ranked according to their nutritional value, resilience to climatic change, economic viability, local availability and adaptability.

Outstanding example

Thirty-eight of the highest-ranking species were classified as "future smart foods", or foods that are nutrition dense, sustainable, climate resilient, economically viable and locally accessible－including foxtail millet, drumstick, lentil, elephant foot yam and taro.

"The drumstick … is an outstanding example of a future smart food because it is highly nutritious, drought-tolerant and grows from both cuttings and seed," Siddique said.

"Its leaves, flowers and pods are excellent sources of protein, and contain high levels of vitamins A, B and C, calcium, iron, potassium and magnesium. Additionally, compared with polished white rice, lentil contains three times more protein, six times more calcium, 25 times more dietary fiber and contains the most folate out of all plant-based foods."

Tapping into the opportunities that future smart foods offer will help achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goal 2 (Zero Hunger), which aims to eradicate all forms of hunger and malnutrition.

"We need continuous efforts to promote the production and consumption of future smart foods to reach the Zero Hunger goal," Siddique said. "This includes research, development and innovation for improved production, capacity building for smallholder farmers, and coordinated sustainable development strategies."

Governments have a central role in transforming current agriculture and food systems, Siddique said. "Our current overreliance on staple crops as a leading cause of persistent malnutrition, coupled with low dietary diversity in Asia, should inspire policymakers to introduce these crops into mainstream agriculture and food systems.

"In South Asia, Nepal is an example where future smart foods have been successfully implemented at different levels. Promising recent reports show significantly reduced signs of stunting and wasting in Nepalese children under the age of five years."

The FAO said future smart foods have a central role to play in the fight against hunger and malnutrition through dietary and production diversity.