Mabhaudhi Tafadzwanashe, Chimonyo Vimbayi G P, Chibarabada Tendai P, Modi Albert T
Crop Science, School of Agricultural, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa.
Front Plant Sci. 2017 Dec 14;8:2143. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2017.02143. eCollection 2017.
Reports of neglected and underutilized crops' (NUS) potential remain mostly anecdotal with limited and often incoherent research available to support them. This has been attributed to lack of clear research goals, limited funding directed at NUS and journal apathy toward publishing work on NUS. The latter points also explain the lack of interest from emerging and established researchers. Additionally, the NUS community's inability to articulate a roadmap for NUS' promotion may have unintentionally contributed to this. The current study is a sequel to an initial study that assessed the status of NUS in South Africa. The objective of this follow-up study was then to (i) identify priority NUS, and (ii) articulate a strategy and actionable recommendations for promoting NUS in South Africa. The study identified 13 priority NUS, categorized into cereals, legumes, root, and tuber crops and leafy vegetables based on drought and heat stress tolerance and nutritional value. It is recommended that the available limited resources should be targeted on improving these priority NUS as they offer the best prospects for success. Focus should be on developing value chains for the priority NUS. This should be underpinned by science to provide evidence-based outcomes. This would assist to attract more funding for NUS research, development and innovation in South Africa. It is envisaged that through this roadmap, NUS could be transformed from the peripheries into mainstream agriculture. This study provides a template for developing a roadmap for promoting NUS that could be transposed and replicated among the 14 other southern African states.
关于被忽视和未充分利用作物（NUS）潜力的报道大多只是 anecdotal，可用的支持研究有限且往往不连贯。这归因于缺乏明确的研究目标、针对 NUS 的资金有限以及期刊对发表 NUS 相关工作的冷漠。后一点也解释了新兴和资深研究人员缺乏兴趣的原因。此外，NUS 群体无法阐明 NUS 推广的路线图可能无意中促成了这一情况。当前的研究是对一项初步研究的后续，该初步研究评估了南非 NUS 的状况。这项后续研究的目标则是：（i）确定优先 NUS，以及（ii）阐明在南非推广 NUS 的战略和可操作建议。该研究确定了 13 种优先 NUS，根据耐旱和耐热性以及营养价值分为谷物、豆类、块根和块茎作物以及叶菜类蔬菜。建议将现有的有限资源用于改善这些优先 NUS，因为它们提供了最佳的成功前景。重点应放在为优先 NUS 发展价值链上。这应以科学为支撑，以提供基于证据的成果。这将有助于为南非的 NUS 研究、开发和创新吸引更多资金。预计通过这一路线图，NUS 可从边缘地位转变为主流农业。本研究为制定推广 NUS 的路线图提供了一个模板，可在其他 14 个南部非洲国家进行转换和复制。
