One hundred local food plants for improving nutrition

Oxfam (2023) One hundred local food plants for improving nutrition #134 p.

This new book published by Oxfam describes the botany, local knowledge and nutrition qualities of one hundred local plants, which can help reduce micronutrient deficiencies of Indigenous peoples and smallholder farmers.

The objective of this book is to describe the botany, local knowledge and nutritional qualities of one hundred local food plants, which can help reduce the length of the food scarcity period and micronutrient deficiencies of Indigenous peoples and smallholder farmers across Africa, Asia and Latin America. The book also explains the species’ tolerance to conditions of environmental stress, which suggests the potential role they might play for nutrition in the context of climate change.

Sowing Diversity = Harvesting Security

SD=HS is a global program (2019-2023) implemented by Oxfam Country Offices and partners including institutional partners across eight countries in coordination with the Oxfam office in each as well as leading organizations, including FOVIDA, ASOCUCH, PELUM association, ESAFF Uganda, CTDT Zambia, ZAAB, CTDT Zimbabwe, LI-BIRD, Lao Farmer Network, Department of Agriculture Lao PDR, NAFRI, Farmers’ Seed Network China.

SD=HS is coordinated by Oxfam Novib, and funded by the Swedish Development Cooperation (Sida). Specifically, SD=HS´s work on Local Food Plants for Nutrition aimed at strengthening the strategies that households have to cope with food scarcity and malnutrition by increasing the intake of nutritious food based on local biodiversity. The work also aimed at improving the management of local food plants, particularly neglected and underutilized species (NUS).

The overall objective of the SD=HS programme is to empower indigenous peoples and smallholder farmers to uphold, strengthen and mainstream their rights and build technical capacities to better manage agricultural biodiversity to achieve food and nutrition security in the context of climate change. Empowerment, experiential participatory learning, and action research are central elements of the programme.