Harnessing Global Opportunities in Underutilized Legumes Value Chains

25 February 2026.  Harnessing Global Opportunities in Underutilized Legumes Value Chains - webinar organized by the Society for Underutilized Legumes (SUL).

How to harness global marketing and product developments for underutilized legumes particularly Bambara groundnut, Winged Bean, Common bean etc.

• The overall goal of this webinar was to gain a better understanding of how Bambara groundnut and others can be utilized globally to achieve the desired support for both human and animal health, while also considering their impacts for sustainable environments.
• With Joanna Kane-Potaka of the Global Forum for Agricultural Research and Innovation (GFAIR)

Her presentation outlined key lessons from efforts to strengthen legume and broader crop value chains, drawing on experiences linked to global initiatives such as millets and sorghum. It highlighted six critical components for success, including:

1. focusing on staple crops, 
2. diversifying existing food systems, 
3. building global movements, and 
4. generating large-scale impact. 

A central theme is that transforming value chains requires both demand-side actions (awareness, marketing) and supply-side measures (production incentives, seed systems, and breeding improvements).

It also emphasized risks that must be managed as value chains expand. These include the dangers of over-processing and “nutrition washing,” lack of agroecological approaches, and unequal playing fields for stakeholders. The presentation notes that seed and breeding systems remain underdeveloped, and that careful selection of varieties—including biofortification—will be important. At the same time, there are clear opportunities, particularly for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), to innovate and add value within these emerging markets.

Finally, the presentation underscored the importance of empowering national systems to take leadership roles while collaborating globally in agri-food research and innovation. Examples of millet and sorghum products from different countries illustrate growing international adoption and market diversification. The overall message is that sustainable value chain development can deliver benefits for people, the planet, and farmers—but only if it is inclusive, well-coordinated, and aligned with nutrition and sustainability goals.