The Rockefeller Foundation has published two reports that advocate for the investment in underutilized indigenous and traditional crops. The foundation argues that these crops could enhance food and nutrition security, as well as climate resilience in Africa. These reports offer recommendations to boost agricultural productivity and nutrition, supporting the Vision for Adapted Crops and Soils (VACS).
According to a press release from the Rockefeller Foundation, these reports were developed in collaboration with the Agricultural Model Intercomparison and Improvement Project (AgMIP) and Havos.ai. They provide insight into nearly two dozen cereals, fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and roots that could offer stable and nutritious diets if climate variability or extreme weather conditions threaten other food sources.
The same press release details that the reports categorize traditional and underutilized crops into five groups: cereals (fonio, teff, sorghum, finger millet, pearl millet); legumes (cowpea, grass pea, pigeon pea, bambara groundnut, lablab, mungbean); roots and tubers (cocoyam, taro, yam, sweet potato); nuts and oil seeds (sesame, groundnut); and fruits and vegetables (African eggplant, amaranth, okra).
As per another Rockefeller Foundation press release from February 2023; VACS is a collaborative initiative involving the African Union; Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations; and the Office of the Special Envoy for Food Security at the U.S. State Department. VACS aims to unite communities and individuals from research; advocacy; policy fields to explore opportunities for developing reliable healthy food systems using traditional underutilized crops.
Cary Fowler who serves as Special Envoy for Global Food Security at the U.S. Department of State said in a press release: "One of the inspiring aspects of VACS and these reports is the scientific foundation and process we undertook with our partners to arrive at this point. Nutritionists, plant breeders, climate modelers, soil scientists, economists and others came together–many said for the first time–to collaborate. The opportunity crops that they identified and prioritized are a game changer for addressing food security with the right kind of investment and commitment."
