Underutilised crops come into their own

Diverse food systems are the focus of collaborative efforts at UKZN, writes Jyothi Laldas.

- Jyothi Laldas

Mainstreaming neglected and underutilised crop species has formed the basis for international collaborative research with an agricultural focus at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), in an effort to influence policy to ensure a more diverse agrifood system in South Africa.

The research is born out of years of work by researchers in the Sustainable and Healthy Food Systems (SHEFS) programme, an inter-institutional project funded by the Wellcome Trust’s Our Planet, Our Health Programme in South Africa, India and the UK.

SHEFS researchers concentrate on the convergence of the environment, food systems and health. They explore food systems facing considerable challenges due to diverse stressors, such as demographic shifts, alterations in dietary patterns, changes in land use and urbanisation.

These factors contribute to undernourishment and an increase in non-communicable diseases, resulting in significant economic losses and environmental degradation.