Sowing the seeds of knowledge on underutilised crops

Abstract

South Africa, like much of sub-Saharan Africa, is currently going through a severe drought due to El Niño. The phenomenon causes changes to seasonal weather conditions. For South Africa, this often translates to below average rainfall and drought. The United Nations reports that about 30 million people in sub-Saharan Africa face hunger due to the ongoing drought. In South Africa, the government has declared five provinces disaster areas. South Africa will have to import between four and six millions tons of maize to meet the gap caused by low yields due to the prevailing drought. This will have a negative effect on food prices and access to food in poor households. Subsistence farmers in rural areas are most vulnerable as they lack resilience. There is a need to reconsider the potential of currently cultivated major crops to continue to provide food security, especially in marginal agricultural production areas.

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