19 June 2023

Our current food system has prioritized dominance by a handful of staple crops to the detriment of other varieties. It is estimated that 75% of crop varieties have disappeared during the 20th century and, as of 2020, three plant crops – maize, rice and wheat – account for 41% of the world’s calorie intake.  

The multiple crises of recent years – from pest and crop diseases, COVID-19, extreme weather events, as well as political and military conflict – have revealed the weaknesses of our food system. Africa has been particularly affected with 278 million people suffering from chronic hunger and food price inflation exceeding 20%.  

Bringing back neglected crops 

Attention is growing for the introduction of so-called neglected crops. Also known as under-utilised, traditional, orphan, or indigenous crops, they can help to diversify agriculture and food systems and introduce a greater variety of foods into global supplies while also building resilience to climate change and providing diversified sources of income for farmers.  

In early 2023, the US State Department’s Office of the Special Envoy for Global Food Security, African Union (AU), and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) launched the Vision for Adapted Crops and Soils (VACS) to support African farmers, civil society organizations and governments face the challenges caused by the effects of climate change on the region’s food systems. This multiphase initiative will identify a selection of crops that provide nutritional qualities, resilience to climate change and commercialization potential for further investment.  

To support this initiative, the Shamba Centre for Food & Climate is conducting focus group consultations aimed at gathering knowledge from market actors in Africa about the selected crops. The results from this consultation process will inform the next phases of VACS, namely providing policy recommendations for promoting neglected crops as a food and climate solution in Africa. 

Focus group consultations 

From June to September 2023, the Shamba Centre is organizing three focus group consultations with businesses, industry associations, local NGOs, farmers’ organizations, and special interest communities, such as consumer groups and women’s organizations. 

These workshops will explore the following issues: 

• Assessing the relevance of crops prioritised by an expert academic group in relation to participants’ strategy on food security, nutrition, and climate change; 

• Identifying the common regulatory barriers for new crops, including perceptions on gene-editing technology; and 

• Evaluating lessons learnt from the commercialization of other previously neglected crops, such as quinoa (traditional crop from Latin America). 

Further work 

In addition to the organization of focus group consultations, the Shamba Centre will also contribute to a case study on fonio and share stories from local stakeholders interested and invested in traditional African crops.