Indigenous crops - A market ripe for the picking

Abstract

Food production Maize, wheat, rice, potatoes. The globalisation of our food systems has made us dangerously over-reliant on a handful of food sources. Growing and preserving our knowledge of traditional South African crops is an important step towards preserving food crop biodiversity while enhancing food security and reducing malnutrition. Lani van Vuuren reports on the Symposium on Water Use and Nutritional Value of Indigenous Crops hosted by the Water Research Commission (WRC) earlier this year. According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), throughout history over 7 000 crops have been used for human consumption. Unfortunately, many of these so-called traditional, indigenous or indigenised crops have disappeared or have been neglected or abandoned in favour of westernised food. Rising water scarcity, potential climate change and a growing population demand that we find innovative solutions to meeting our nation’s growing food security needs. It has been recognised that previously neglected indigenous crops could play a role in this regard.

Authors

Categories