Platform for African – European Partnership in Agricultural Research for Development

Wednesday, October 15, 2025

Webinar on Neglected and Underutilized Crops

15 October 2025. Webinar on Neglected and Underutilized Crops.

Neglected and Underutilized Species (NUS) - overlooked crops and edible plants - hold great potential to enhance food security, farmers' income, and livelihoods, particularly in the Global South. They can also contribute to women's empowerment and healthier diets and the production of local, accessible Ready-to-Use therapeutic foods to combat acute malnutrition.

This webinar brought together NUS experts to share the latest research findings and identify strategies to advance NUS research and policymaking.

You can download the report of the webinar here:

Report on the Webinar of 15 October 2025, organised by the European Commission’s Knowledge Centre on Global Food and Nutrition Security (KC-FNS) and the Global Forum on Agricultural Research and Innovation (GFAiR) (2 pp)

Moderator: Joanna Kane-Potaka – GFAiR's Executive Secretary (formerly at ICRISAT – Smart Food Initiative). She stressed in her moderation the need for collaboration: ‘Work in union,
not silos.’ Unlocking NUS potential requires coordinated efforts across research, policy, and
implementation to avoid fragmented approaches.

Policy Perspective
  • François Kayitakire - Head of Unit – Food Security, European Commission Joint Research Centre (JRC), Ispra, Italy. He highlighted that NUS are essential for resilient food systems and promoting biodiversity. While they have been traditionally very important, their use and trade are declining. The European Commission’s KC-FNS reviewed NUS benefits and identified knowledge gaps, calling for stronger policy and research support.
  • Dana Le Roy - Policy Officer for Nutrition & Focal Point for the partnership with the World Health Organization, European Commission – Directorate‑General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO), Brussels. He emphasized that NUS could have the potential to help address severe child wasting and climate-related food insecurity. DG ECHO aims to integrate NUS into emergency responses, making them more sustainable and locally adapted.
  • Christophe Larose - Head of Sector, Sustainable Agri-Food Systems & Fisheries, European Commission – Directorate‑General for International Partnerships (DG INTPA), Brussels. He noted that reliance on a few staple crops has failed to eradicate hunger. He pointed out that NUS may have been neglected by research and policy, but not by farmers. as they adapted to harsh climates and are vital for agroecological transformation and biodiversity. Recognizing farmers’ and indigenous communities’ rights is key to scaling these crops.
The Potential of NUS

Following opening remarks on policy perspectives from the European Commission’s Directorate-General INTPA and ECHO, the webinar presented the key findings of the Knowledge Review on NUS (19 pp) of the Knowledge Centre for Global Food and Nutrition Security.
  • Carlo Rega - Scientific Officer, European Commission – Joint Research Centre (JRC)
  • Caroline Callenius - Scientific Officer, European Commission – Joint Research Centre (JRC) / Executive Director of the Hohenheim Research Center for Global Food Security and Ecosystems in Germany
They presented the Knowledge Review by the KC-FNS, noting that NUS act as buffers during lean seasons and enhance nutrition security. These crops play a crucial role in transitioning to sustainable and resilient food systems, adapted to poor soils and harsh conditions. Promoting NUS can also enhance women's empowerment and gender equality in food systems, as women often cultivate these crops.

Panel discussion
  • Hamid El Bilali - Senior Researcher at the International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies (CIHEAM) – Bari, Italy. He focused on value chains, which are often weak or absent. Developing NUS value chains requires investment in research, processing, and marketing, alongside consumer awareness campaigns to shift perceptions from ‘poor people’s food’ to desirable products.
  • Wole (Oluwole) Fatunbi - Director of Research and Innovation at the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), Accra, Ghana. He called for domestic investment and advocacy to ‘own’ the forgotten foods agenda in Africa. Engaging youth and private sector actors is essential for sustainable NUS value chains and job creation.
  • Arshiya Noorani - Agriculture Officer (Plant Genetic Resources), Plant Production & Protection Division, FAO, Rome, Italy & Pierre Ferrand - Agricultural Officer (Agroecology & Ecosystem Services), FAO, Rome, Italy. They presented key findings from the 3rd Report on the State of the World’s Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, which identified 587 NUS with commercial potential across 63 countries. These species are central to agroecological transitions, offering climate-resilient options and improving soil fertility. Policy frameworks must support seed systems and integrate traditional knowledge.
  • Nico Wilms-Posen - Project Coordinator, Crop Trust, Bonn, Germany. He  stressed that limited seed availability and formal system mismatch are hindering value chain development. There is a need for blended seed systems and conservation of genetic resources. The Power of Diversity Funding Facility - a multi-donor initiative - supports action, learning and partnerships around opportunity crops.
  • Arno Bratz - Head of Sector Strategy, Knowledge & Learning / Institutional Donor Relations (depending on source) at Welthungerhilfe, Germany. He presented evidence that NUS can close micronutrient gaps, especially in hard-to-reach areas. Crops like amaranth and orange-fleshed sweet potato excel in nutrient density. Nutrition-sensitive policies and product innovation are needed to scale these benefits.
  • Katrin Glatzel - Director for Global Strategy & Programs at AKADEMIYA 2063, Africa. She highlighted the importance of understanding consumer behaviour and cultural perceptions to accelerate NUS adoption. She also pointed to untapped opportunities in the bioeconomy, such as bioplastics and nutraceuticals, while cautioning about trade-offs in land use and biodiversity.
  • Mady Cisse - Professor of Food Processing / Food Technology at Cheikh Anta Diop University (UCAD), Dakar, Senegal; President of the African Nutrition Society. He stressed the need for communication campaigns and food technology investments to change eating habits and integrate NUS into school canteens and government programs.
Concluding
  • Felix Rembold – European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC). He reaffirmed in his closing remarks that momentum for NUS is growing. Maintaining collaboration and leveraging local knowledge will be critical for future success. He also announced that the next knowledge review by the KC-FNS will focus on the socioeconomic effects of agroforestry, using similar participatory formats. 
In conclusion, the webinar demonstrated that NUS are more than alternative crops—they are catalysts for sustainable, resilient, and inclusive food systems. Achieving their potential requires coordinated action: strengthening value chains, investing in research, promoting policy alignment, and engaging communities. As the discussion showed, NUS can address multiple challenges— from climate adaptation to nutrition security—if momentum is maintained and collaboration deepened.


Resources

FiBL, recently published a video highlighting the benefits of NUS along the value chain, from farmers to consumers, focusing on success stories from Tanzania through the CROPS4HD project (Consumption of Resilient Orphan Crops and Products for Healthier Diets). You can find it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIp_mKxa-aI

Through the FO-RI programme funded by EU and managed by AgriCord, farmers organisations are working to revive and valorise neglected and traditional crops and varieties: from local rice in Senegal and farmer-saved seeds in Mali and Tanzania, to breadfruit in the Pacific. These farmer-led research projects show how local knowledge and agroecology can bring neglected crops back to the centre of resilient and sustainable food systems. You can read here the Capitalisation document of the FO-RI program: https://www.agricord.org/en/publications/capitalisation-farmer-led-research-innovation-program

SUSTLIVES project (DeSIRA), analysed the value chains of 8 NUS in Burkina Faso and Niger (in French): Burkina Faso (https://www.sustlives.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/A1.4_Livrable-Rapport-Burkina-Faso-Final.pdf) et Niger (https://www.sustlives.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/A1.4_Livrable-Rapport-Niger-Final.pdf)
Forgotten Foods: A GFAR/GFAiR Collective Action Success Story

Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Horticulture Value Chain Analysis for Selected IndigenousVegetables in Ghana(Cocoyam Leaf (Kontomire), Turkey Berry (Kwahu Nsusua), Okra and GardenEggs) 

Africa Community of Practice (CoP)

The central objective of the Africa Community of Practice (CoP) on forgotten and underutilized food commodities is to foster the reintegration of forgotten food commodities into the mainstream food systems in Africa countries through research, knowledge generation and dissemination, technology development, advocacy for policy development and fostering investment. https://faraafrica.community/fara-net/forgotten-foods


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