Research
Happy International Day of Biodiversity 2012 - Part Two
Continuing our celebrations for today's International Day of Biodiversity today, we also asked our staff: "How can we celebrate agricultural biodiversity on the International Day of Biodiversity?" Watch the video to listen to their ideas.
International conferences and meetings
Latest information from
Translator
Neglected & Underutilized Species
Around the world, many communities depend on plant species that are outside the mainstream of agricultural research and development. These species are often referred to as 'neglected and underutilized species' or 'orphan crops'.
Modern agriculture is focused on the cultivation of three major staple crops - rice, maize and wheat - which provide half of the global human requirement for proteins and calories.
Yet around the world, around 7,000 plant species are cultivated or harvested from the wild for food and their contribution to nutrition security is poorly appreciated.
Why are they important?
These neglected and underutilized species play a crucial role in the food security, income generation and food culture of the rural poor.
What are their benefits?
Bioversity NUS projects
For 15 years Bioversity has been working in Bolivia, Peru, India, Nepal, Yemen and the Mediterranean Basin to empower the rural poor by strengthening their identity, income opportunities and nutritional security through the improved use and marketing of NUS.
In July 2011, we launched a 3 year project to enhance the on farm conservation of neglected and underutilised crops. [Read more]
Reducing processing times for traditional food crops, such as minor millets, can encourage women to reintroduce them to the family diet.
Producing and consuming neglected and underutilized species can foster higher income and better nutrition for smallholder farming communities, and preserve local culinary and cultural traditions.
Moreover, these crops are often more resilient than modern staple crops as they are better adapted to grow in marginal areas, with little need for irrigation, pesticides and fertilisers. Yet the lack of attention by mainstream research and development programmes means their potential value is under-estimated and under-exploited, and many are under threat of disappearance.
Our research
Bioversity International's work on Neglected and Underutilized Species is focused on understanding its potential as a development tool to help poor rural communities.
Our research examines how on farm conservation and use of local agricultural biodiversity can help smallholder farmers adapt to climate change, improve resilience of crops to pests and diseases, empower local women and increase livelihoods.
We are also placing a particular focus on neglected and underutilized species as part of our nutrition research programme, to help understand the potential that using agricultural biodiversity can offer to improve the quality and variety of diets.
For more information contact: 
Stefano Padulosi
Read more |
|---|
Administration AreaCROP WILD RELATIVES | EURISCO | THE AGROBIODIVERSITY GRAPEVINE | PROMUSA | PLATFORM FOR AGROBIODIVERSITY RESEARCH
 |
This work by Bioversity International is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. |
Follow Us
Subscribe here to get the latest update by Email.
Alternatively you can subscribe by RSS:
[Close]