Neglected Crops for a Sustainable Future: NUS and the Path to Achieving SDGs
A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Crop Breeding and Genetics".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 4
Special Issue Editor
Interests: global change adaptation; crop wild relatives conservation; species conservation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Neglected and underutilized species (NUS) offer transformative potential in addressing challenges such as food security, climate resilience, and biodiversity within sustainable agriculture. These species, often overlooked in favor of globally dominant crops, can enhance nutritional quality and ecosystem diversity while advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 2 on zero hunger and SDG 15 on life on land. Integrating NUS into modern agricultural systems is vital for biodiversity conservation, as these plants are adapted to marginal environments, often requiring fewer resources and offering resilience to climate fluctuations. However, the current agricultural focus on a limited array of high-yield crops has contributed to the erosion of genetic diversity and the marginalization of local, nutrient-dense plant varieties. By promoting NUS in sustainable food systems, societies can move toward diversified diets, support smallholder farmers, and enhance food security, particularly in communities vulnerable to food scarcity.
This Special Issue considers research on the multidimensional role of NUS, exploring the intersection of agrobiodiversity, nutrition, and climate adaptation. Studies should highlight the pathways for integrating NUS into local and global food systems through public procurement, dietary guidelines, and agroecological practices that reduce reliance on monocultures. This Special Issue underscores the need for a global shift in policy, research, and awareness to mainstream NUS, ensuring resilient food systems that meet both environmental and human health needs. Additionally, we are interested in discussing policy recommendations for improving NUS-based food systems, focusing on the empowerment of small-scale farmers and the engagement of local communities in conservation efforts.
Dr. David Draper
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agronomy is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- neglected and underutilized species
- crop wild relatives
- food security
- sustainable development goals
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