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Agricultural biodiversity

Photo: Rami Khalil/Bioversity International

Photo: Rami Khalil/Bioversity International

Agricultural biodiversity is the basis of the food and nutrition value chain with under-exploited potential for contributing to food security, health, income generation, and ecosystem services.

Bioversity's research programme  [1], building on 10 year's of international nutrition research experience, and carried out with the support of our partners  [2], will help to understand the potential that agricultural biodiversity can offer in improving the quality and variety of our diets.

There will be a particular focus on the role of local and traditional foods as well as neglected and underutilized species for nutrition security within rural, peri-urban and urban communities in the developing world.


Neglected and Underutilised Species

African Leafy Vegetables in Kenya

African leafy vegetables are rich in important micronutrients such as Vitamin A, iron and zinc yet were not being cultivated and eaten widely in local communities as they had become considered 'old fashioned'.

A Bioversity International project in Kenya worked with smallholder farmers to increase the production, marketing and consumption of a range of traditional African leafy vegetables and help improve local nutrition and incomes. [Read more]  [3]

Neglected and Underutilized Species,  [4] as well as local and traditional foods can be a vital source of nutrition but over time, they have become considered 'food for the rural poor' and have fallen out of favour and replaced by modern commodity crops.

Bioversity International's research during the last few years has focused on examining the role and impact of traditional foods on dietary diversity and livelihoods:

In India, a fresh look at the value of minor millets  [5] has improved incomes and self-reliance of poor rural women and increased their intake of iron.

In Bolivia, farmers growing quinoa for demanding export markets had abandoned traditional Andean grains.

By introducing a small mill to help women process quinoa quickly, they were encouraged to reintroduce it to their family diet, so children could gain from its nutritional benefits

Find out more in this short video.

 

 

 

 

Read more:

 Improving nutrition with agricultural biodiversity - A manual on implementing
food systems field projects to assess and improve dietary diversity, and nutrition and health outcomes (1.1 MB)  [6]

 Nutritious Underutilised Species - Factsheet 1 - African Baobab
 (340 KB)  [7]

 Nutritious Underutilised Species - Factsheet 2 - Amaranth (500 KB)  [8]

 Nutritious Underutilised Species - Factsheet 3 - Bambara (544 KB)  [9]

 Nutritious Underutilised Species - Factsheet 4 - Taro (839 KB)  [10]

 Nutritious Underutilised Species - Factsheet 5 - Fonio (313 KB)  [11]

Back by Popular Demand - The Benefits of African Leafy Vegetables - One Community's Story
  [12]

Similar posts:

Filed under: Nutrition  [18]See also: African Leafy Vegetables  [19], Agricultural Biodiversity  [20], Andean Grains  [21], Bolivia  [22], India  [23], Malnutrition  [24], Micronutrients  [25], NUS  [26], Nutrition  [27], On farm conservation  [28]

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