Special Issue "Interdisciplinary Approaches to Mainstreaming Underutilized Crops"

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Agriculture".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2021.

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Tafadzwa Mabhaudhi
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Centre for Transformative Agricultural and Food Systems, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, Scottsville 3201, South Africa
Interests: crop responses to abiotic and biotic stresses; agricultural water management; agricultural diversification; smallholder farming systems; water use and crop-climate modelling; sustainable food systems; global environmental change; water-energy-food nexus; science-policy-practice interface
Prof. Albert T. Modi
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Centre for Transformative Agricultural and Food Systems, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, Scottsville 3201, South Africa
Interests: seed science and technology; sustainable agriculture; indigenous knowledge; food security; rural development
Prof. Dr. Festo Massawe
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
University of Nottingham in Malaysia, Jalan Broga, Semenyih, 43500 Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia
Interests: capacity development; agricultural biodiversity for food and nutritional security; climate change and crop adaptation; food environments; sustainable food system; genetic analysis of crop traits and breeding; agriculture-environment-health nexus
Special Issues and Collections in MDPI journals
Dr. Maysoun A. Mustafa
E-Mail
Guest Editor
Science for Society Directorate, Science Foundation Ireland, Dublin D02 FX65, Ireland.
Interests: sustainable food systems; agricultural diversification; smallholder systems; capacity development; science-policy interphase
Dr. Pauline Chivenge
E-Mail
Guest Editor
International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Metro Manila 1301, Philippines
Interests: natural resource management; sustainable food systems; carbon sequestration; soil fertility management; agricultural diversification
Dr. Sukhwinder Singh
E-Mail
Guest Editor
Centre for Chronic Disease Control, Plot 47, Sector 44, Gurgaon, India
Interests: agricultural sustainability; food security; rural development; groundwater; natural resource management

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Underutilised crops can sustainably address challenges such as increasing drought, food and nutrition insecurity, loss of ecosystem services, and environmental degradation under changing climates, and ultimately strengthen local food systems. They also enhance agro-ecological diversity, ecosystem services, and opportunities for low greenhouse gas (GHG) agriculture as well as terraforming (planting new ecosystems). Their status as a subset of biodiversity provides a nature-based solution to address socio-economic and environmental challenges while enhancing human wellbeing through multiple dimensions such as social cohesion, dignity, equality, and livelihoods derived from use of natural capital.

In response to the need to transform existing agriculture systems, one strategy that is rarely explored is the use of neglected and underutilised species (NUS) as a transformative response to climate change and food and nutrition insecurity. We propose a transdisciplinary approach to mainstreaming indigenous crops into the food system, which includes researchers together with strategic stakeholders working with policy-makers to generate and translate existing evidence to inform policy. This creates opportunities for developing sustainable and healthy food systems, improving livelihoods, health and wellbeing, creating jobs, enhancing agro-biodiversity, and improving environmental sustainability. This would contribute towards the fulfillment of several sustainable development goals (SDGs): SDG 2 (zero hunger), SDG 3 (good health and well-being), SDG 13 (climate action), and SDG 15 (life on land). With research and development, and policy to support them, indigenous crops can play an important role in climate change adaptation and transforming food systems while enhancing human wellbeing and environmental sustainability.

Therefore, the aim of this Special Issue is to attract researchers and practitioners to highlight inter- and transdisciplinary approaches that focus on the following topics related to NUS

  • how NUS can contribute to transforming agricultural systems, especially in marginal environments
  • topics linkings NUS to systemic issues related to:
    • biodiversity – NUS NUS constitute a large portion of agrobiodiversity and promote functional biodiversity that allows for better ecosystem services
    • Climate variability and change/climate change adaptation/transformative adaptation
    • Water use efficiency/productivity/increasing resource use efficiencies
    • Food and nutrition security/enhancing dietary diversity/sustainable diets
    • Human health and well-being
  • The contribution of NUS to the tranformative agenda/transforming food systems/strengthening local food systems
  • Policies and their role in supporting and positioning NUS as part of a transformative agenda

Prof. Tafadzwa Mabhaudhi
Prof. Albert T. Modi
Prof. Dr. Festo Massawe
Dr. Maysoun A. Mustafa
Dr. Pauline Chivenge
Dr. Sukhwinder Singh
Guest Editors

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 papers will be 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. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 1900 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

  • climate resilience
  • ecosystem services
  • food systems
  • underutilised crops
  • sustainability

Published Papers (3 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Review

Jump to: Other

Review
African Leafy Vegetables for Improved Human Nutrition and Food System Resilience in Southern Africa: A Scoping Review
Sustainability 2021, 13(5), 2896; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13052896 - 08 Mar 2021
Viewed by 607
Abstract
The economic potential of African leafy vegetables (ALVs) remains obscured by a poorly developed value chain. This scoping review assembled and examined scattered knowledge generated on ALVs across southern Africa, focusing on production, processing, marketing, and consumption. Two electronic databases (Scopus and Web [...] Read more.
The economic potential of African leafy vegetables (ALVs) remains obscured by a poorly developed value chain. This scoping review assembled and examined scattered knowledge generated on ALVs across southern Africa, focusing on production, processing, marketing, and consumption. Two electronic databases (Scopus and Web of Science) were screened, and a total of 71 relevant studies were included and evaluated. The review provides a state of the art on knowledge related to utilisation of ALVs across the entire value chain. The findings show that functional properties are of prime importance in the production and consumption of ALVs. However, the lack of improved germplasm and a non-existent seed supply system are significant production bottlenecks. Pests and diseases affecting the productivity of ALVs remain mostly unexplored. Sun-drying and boiling were the most reported post-harvest processing methods, suggesting that traditional processing methods are still prominent. Many studies also confirmed the predominance of informal markets in the trading of ALVs as they fail to penetrate formal markets because of poor product positioning and exclusion from produce demand and supply forecasts. The inception of cultivar development, mechanised processing methods, and market linkages will enhance the profitability of ALVs in the region. This review enhances the gaining of insight into the state of different value chain components will assist in upscaling production, value addition of products, and enhance marketing efficiency. There is a great opportunity for basic and applied research into ALVs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Interdisciplinary Approaches to Mainstreaming Underutilized Crops)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Review
Citron Watermelon Potential to Improve Crop Diversification and Reduce Negative Impacts of Climate Change
Sustainability 2021, 13(4), 2269; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13042269 - 19 Feb 2021
Viewed by 630
Abstract
Citron watermelon (Citrullus lanatus var. citroides (L.H. Bailey) Mansf. ex Greb.) is an underexploited and under-researched crop species with the potential to contribute to crop diversification in Sub-Saharan Africa. The species is cultivated in the drier parts of Southern Africa, mainly by [...] Read more.
Citron watermelon (Citrullus lanatus var. citroides (L.H. Bailey) Mansf. ex Greb.) is an underexploited and under-researched crop species with the potential to contribute to crop diversification in Sub-Saharan Africa. The species is cultivated in the drier parts of Southern Africa, mainly by smallholder farmers who maintain a wide range of landrace varieties. Understanding the molecular and morpho-physiological basis for drought adaptation in citron watermelon under these dry environments can aid in the identification of suitable traits for drought-tolerance breeding and improve food system resilience among smallholder farmers, thus adding to crop diversification. This paper reviews the literature on drought adaptation of Citrullus lanatus spp. (C3 xerophytes), using the systematic review approach. The review discusses the potential role of citron watermelon in adding to crop diversification, alternative food uses, and potential by-products that can be processed from the crop, and it analyzes the role of Sub-Saharan African farmers play as key actors in conserving citron watermelon germplasm and biodiversity. Finally, the review provides a summary of significant findings and identifies critical knowledge gaps for further research. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Interdisciplinary Approaches to Mainstreaming Underutilized Crops)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Other

Jump to: Review

Commentary
African Lives Matter: Wild Food Plants Matter for Livelihoods, Justice, and the Environment—A Policy Brief for Agricultural Reform and New Crops
Sustainability 2021, 13(13), 7252; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13137252 - 29 Jun 2021
Viewed by 523
Abstract
International agricultural policies to address hunger and malnutrition in the tropics and sub-tropics have typically been based on approaches to the intensification of farming systems effective in industrialised economies where the social, economic, and environmental conditions and the infrastructure are very different to [...] Read more.
International agricultural policies to address hunger and malnutrition in the tropics and sub-tropics have typically been based on approaches to the intensification of farming systems effective in industrialised economies where the social, economic, and environmental conditions and the infrastructure are very different to those in Africa. The consequence of this short-sightedness has been that agricultural productivity, dependent on ecosystem services from natural capital, has declined in Africa due to ecological and environmental collapse. This has undermined the livelihoods of the millions of smallholder farmers living on the brink of the cash economy, leading to severe social injustice. This review summarises advances in smallholder agriculture’s sustainable intensification in the tropics and sub-tropics, leveraging the domestication and commercialisation of wild indigenous tree species that produce nutritious, marketable, and useful food and non-food products. These are grown within diversified and multifunctional farming systems together with conventional food staples and local orphan crops to reduce land degradation, pollution, water extraction, and nutrient mining while promoting services such as pollination and other ecological functions. The benefits arising from this approach simultaneously address hunger, malnutrition, poverty, social injustice, and a stagnant economy, as well as important global issues such as climate change, loss of biodiversity and environmental degradation. Addressing these issues may also reduce the risk of future pandemics of zoonotic diseases, such as COVID-19. This set of serious global issues epitomise our divided and dysfunctional world and calls out for action. Enhancing sustainable smallholder productivity using indigenous and wild foods is an important international policy and business intervention, vital for achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and the rebalancing of the global economy by restoring natural capital within new African indigenous food industries. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Interdisciplinary Approaches to Mainstreaming Underutilized Crops)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop