Ndlovu Mendy, Scheelbeek Pauline, Ngidi Mjabuliseni, Mabhaudhi Tafadzwanashe
Centre for Transformative Agricultural and Food Systems, School of Agricultural, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa.
Discipline of Agrometeorology, School of Agricultural, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa.
Front Sustain Food Syst. 2024 Nov 28;8. doi: 10.3389/fsufs.2024.1498402.
Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) faces increasing water scarcity, food and nutrition insecurity, poverty and inequality under climate change. Under these circumstances, promoting locally adapted and nutrient-dense crops is touted as a plausible climate adaptation strategy. We reviewed the utility of neglected and underutilized crop species (NUS) as a climate change adaptation strategy to diversify local food systems and diets and improve nutritional health and environmental outcomes in SSA. We conducted a systematic literature review using Web of Science and Scopus research databases. Of the 1,545 studies retrieved, 75 were included following a multi-level screening process on Covidence guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The review consolidates fragmented knowledge on the application of NUS in different contexts. Despite growing interest, NUS remain gendered and stigmatized crops, marginalized and fragmented in research, development, and marketing efforts and lack explicit support from policy and decision-makers. Despite rhetoric purporting to support them, there is a worrying rise in policies and regulations that inadvertently hinder the development of these crops and reinforce dependence on a narrow basket of crops for food and nutrition security, undermining food sovereignty. Some NUS have received increasing recognition for their potential in the past decade. However, this is neither universal nor systematic, which makes scaling up necessary but challenging. Consequently, progress in mainstreaming NUS in local food systems continues to lag. Despite these challenges, NUS remain sub-Saharan Africa's better-bet option for diversifying food systems and transitioning them to be equitable, inclusive, resilient and healthy; hence, NUS provide positive outcomes for people and the planet under climate change.
撒哈拉以南非洲地区（SSA）在气候变化下面临着日益严重的水资源短缺、粮食和营养不安全、贫困和不平等问题。在这种情况下，推广适应当地环境且营养丰富的作物被视为一种可行的气候适应策略。我们回顾了被忽视和未充分利用的作物品种（NUS）作为一种气候变化适应策略的效用，以实现当地粮食系统和饮食的多样化，并改善撒哈拉以南非洲地区的营养健康和环境状况。我们使用科学网和Scopus研究数据库进行了系统的文献综述。在检索到的1545项研究中，根据系统评价和Meta分析的首选报告项目（PRISMA）指南，在Covidence的多层次筛选过程后，纳入了75项研究。该综述整合了关于NUS在不同背景下应用的零散知识。尽管人们的兴趣日益浓厚，但NUS仍然是具有性别差异且受到污名化的作物，在研究、开发和营销努力中被边缘化和碎片化，并且缺乏政策制定者和决策者的明确支持。尽管有支持它们的言辞，但令人担忧的是，政策和法规的增加无意中阻碍了这些作物的发展，并强化了对少数几种作物的依赖以保障粮食和营养安全，从而损害了粮食主权。在过去十年中，一些NUS因其潜力而得到越来越多的认可。然而，这种认可既不普遍也不系统，这使得扩大规模虽有必要但具有挑战性。因此，将NUS纳入当地粮食系统主流的进展仍然滞后。尽管存在这些挑战，但NUS仍然是撒哈拉以南非洲地区使粮食系统多样化并将其转变为公平、包容、有韧性和健康的系统的更好选择；因此，在气候变化下，NUS为人类和地球带来了积极成果。
