Cordoba Declaration on Promising Crops for the XXI Century

More diversity in agricultural and food systems is needed if we are to provide healthy and nutritious food to 9 billion people in 2050 in a sustainable way, and enhance the livelihoods of farmers. It is becoming increasingly clear that bolder and more consistent action is needed to broaden the food basket of the world by supporting the development of traditional crops also known as NUS  (Neglected and Underutilized Species), currently marginalized by research and development.

This is one of the key messages of the  Cordoba Declaration (190 KB), which resulted from the International Seminar Crops for the XXI Century, held last December in Cordoba, Spain, attended by senior policymakers including FAO’s Director General, Graziano da Silva, and the Spanish Minister of Agriculture, Miguel Arias Cañete.

“The Declaration is meant to raise policymakers’ attention on NUS – crops that have a great potential to increase income, enhance nutrition and are often better adapted to grow in marginal areas, with little need for irrigation, pesticides and fertilizers. It also sets the basis for a global agenda on the sustainable conservation and use of these crops”, says Stefano Padulosi, Senior Scientist at Bioversity International, part of the working group that developed the Declaration.

The Declaration will be shared at the UN Assembly in June 2013.

“The UN has declared 2013 as the International Year of Quinoa. This is a great opportunity to highlight the importance of thousands of species and varieties of neglected crops. We cannot afford to ignore and underestimate this enormous pool of resources that are often essential to the livelihoods and nutrition of smallholder communities in developing countries”, adds Padulosi.