Underutilized species …..rich potential is being wasted

What are “underutilized” species? The term underutilized species — referring to animals, crop plants, wild or semi-wild plants — applies to those species which appear to have considerable potential for use yet whose potential is barely exploited, if not totally neglected, in agricultural production. For example, there are numerous plants which are particularly well adapted to specific sites and agricultural production systems.

Instead of “underutilized” species, the related terms “minor”, “local”, “neglected”, or “orphan” species are also used in literature. These terms all focus on certain aspects which restrict a wider use, for example the fact that they have been “neglected” by scientific institutions or that they are of “minor” economic importance. Other authors have suggested the terms “alternative” or “promising” species to highlight their potential. They are also regarded as crops for the future. Perhaps no agriculture term has raised more discussions among workers than the word underutilized! Underutilized is commonly applied to refer to species whose potential has not been fully realized. The term itself does not provide any information as to geographical (underutilized where?), social (underutilized by whom?) and economic (underutilized to what degree?) implications. Trend towards uniformity Until the beginning of the 20th century, a wide range of locally-adapted crop varieties and livestock breeds were available to farmers. This diversity contributed to the security of the food supply and helped to safeguard people’s livelihoods. Nowadays, the bulk of the world’s food is derived from just a few species. For example, the three major cereals – wheat, rice and maize – supply more than half of the global protein and calorie intake. Relatively few modern varieties are planted on every continent, accounting for almost three-quarters of the land under cultivation, where they have supplanted the diversity that once existed. Farm animals have been affected by a similar trend. The success of Holstein-Friesian cattle seemingly knows no bounds. Many developing countries are becoming increasingly reliant on industrial dairy production, and are supporting cross-breeding programmes using Holstein-Friesian and other exotic high-performance breeds. But it will take more than a handful of species to feed the world population and secure its income in the long term. It is important to retain a broad genetic base of our major crops and farm animals, so as to allow for breeding activities to adapt plants and animals to changing environmental conditions, market requirements or new pests and diseases. At the same time, increasing the number of species in agricultural systems helps to raise their all-important buffer capacity.

What underutilized species can offer? 1. Greater food security: Local crops and animal breeds can increase food security, particularly if they are adapted to specific marginal agricultural conditions. Diversification is a means of risk reduction.

2. Healthy nutrition: Many underutilized crops have important nutritional qualities, such as high fat content, high quality proteins (essential amino acids), a high level of minerals (such as iron), vitamins, or other valuable nutrients which have not yet been described satisfactorily. They are therefore a significant complement to the “major” cereals and serve to prevent or combat the hidden hunger – a diet deficient in vitamins, minerals and trace elements – which is prevalent in developing countries.

3.Income generation: Underutilized species are capable of supplying both foodstuffs and industrial raw materials, which will offer new opportunities for income generation if their market potential is successfully recognized and developed.

4. Poverty reduction: Many underutilized plant species and breeds require few, if any, external inputs for production. This is an incalculable advantage, especially for poor sections of the population. For example, local cattle breeds can thrive without fodder supplements and preventative veterinary treatments. While they may be less productive, their performance remains consistent when conditions are less than ideal. Local crops produce lower but stable yields even on marginal land and without additional inputs of mineral fertilizers and pesticides. If the land in question does not belong to the farmers, it may still be possible to use wild or semi-cultivated species (such as medicinal herbs, dyes, etc.).

5. Sustainable use of natural resources: Locally adapted crops and animal breeds offer potential for the sustainable use of more challenging sites, such as semi-arid or mountain regions. A well-known example is that local cattle breeds are often less destructive to the vegetation cover on slope land than (heavier) high performance breeds. Local crop species and varieties fit easily into traditional sustainable farming systems geared towards maintaining or restoring soil fertility, like mixed cropping and agro forestry.

6. Indigenous knowledge and cultural identity: Many smallholders possess very specific knowledge of cultivation and processing techniques for underutilized species and their diverse uses. It is not unusual for certain plant or animal species to be of great spiritual importance for the people and their cultural identity.

What are the limitations on use? 1. Lack of market infrastructure: Many underutilized crops and animal products are used almost exclusively for the farmers’ own subsistence, even where the potential exists to market them more extensively. This is due to the lack of infrastructure for marketing products of suitable quality and in appropriate quantities to potential customers. 2. Lack of technologies: Traditionally, underutilized plant and animal products have been processed manually on farms, often using labour-intensive and time-consuming methods. To expand the scale of production, efficient technologies must be developed for manufacturing, storage and processing, to ensure that quality standards can be met. 3. Lack of knowledge and erosion of cultural diversity: Often, neither scientists nor consumers are aware of the nutritional value, medicinal properties or other special characteristics of these products. Indeed, fundamentally negative attitudes may prevail towards local traditions. In extreme cases, indigenous culinary traditions and local specialties may be dismissed as “old-fashioned” or “paupers” food. 4. Lack of political support: The food security programmes in many developing countries are based on agricultural policies which favour the ‘green revolution crops’ and focus exclusively on maize, wheat or rice, and export crops. In animal production, the emphasis has long been on promoting the use of high performance breeds, even though they only produce high yields in ideal production conditions. Incentives, subsidies and loan programmes for this type of agricultural production distort the market, to the detriment of traditional crop varieties and animal breeds. Complicated authorization procedures can also be an obstacle to accessing new international markets. One example is the Novel Foods Regulation of the European Union, which requires extensive safety-testing of novel foodstuffs on public health grounds before they can be introduced to the European market. In addition to the reasons mentioned, there are certainly other causes of underutilization which are not so easily remedied, at least not in the short term; for example, low yields, unpalatable flavours or poor keeping qualities.

United commodities stand! Divided new crops fail!

New strategies to promote use Before strategies can be developed to promote use of a species, careful analysis is needed of its potential and the factors constraining its use. Essentially, two different approaches are possible: ● The commodity chain approach aims to develop the market potential of a particular species or product by strengthening weak points in the value chain. ● The livelihood approach is an effort to exploit the full livelihood potential. It seeks to find better uses for the species in relation to the producers’ life situation, e.g. for their nutrition, for their health, to strengthen their cultural identity, and to conserve natural resources. Both approaches can combine various strategic steps to promote their product: optimizing production and storage methods, improving quality standards, processing and marketing, strengthening organizational structures, lobbying, awareness raising and public relations work. Essentially, promoting the use of underutilized species is most successful when it does not concentrate on one product in isolation but forms part of a regional development concept. Of course, the technologies and social structures deployed within the project must be sustainable. In the case of export products, it often makes sense to team up with fair trade and organic initiatives. In the long term, the promotion of underutilized species must be mainstreamed into regional and national development strategies, and research and advisory work must take up the cause of species with high potential. The main point is not to carry out isolated projects, but to make a lasting impact by reversing the loss of agricultural diversity. Win-win solutions are possible In recent years, a growing interest in exotic foods has been noticed among consumers in the northern hemisphere. Products made from underutilized species could satisfy this desire for variety, encouraging greater agricultural diversity and benefiting producers in the South – as long as those who have developed the previously neglected species into lucrative ones are not forced out of the market later by more powerful producers. The promotion of high-potential species will only result in higher agro biodiversity if their increasing commercial use does not simply displace other crops or breeds from production. Hence it is necessary to monitor and document the precise impacts of export-oriented promotion on agro biodiversity, on opportunities for income generation, and on social structures.

It is difficult to define just what qualifies as an 'underutilized species'. Terms such as 'underutilized', 'neglected', 'orphan', 'minor', 'promising', 'niche' and 'traditional' are often used interchangeably to characterise the range of plant species those species with under-exploited potential for contributing to food security, health (nutritional/medicinal), income generation, and environmental services.

we have to know what exactly these species means. These species have the following common features: 1.Represent an enormous wealth of agrobiodiversity and have great potential for contributing to improved incomes, food security and nutrition, and for combating the 'hidden hunger' caused by micronutrient (vitamin and mineral) deficiencies 2.Are strongly linked to the cultural heritage of their places of origin 3.Are mainly local and traditional crops (with their ecotypes and landraces) or wild species whose distribution, biology, cultivation and uses are poorly documented 4.Tend to be adapted to specific agro-ecological niches and marginal land 5.Have weak or no formal seed supply systems 6.Are recognized to have traditional uses in localized areas 7.Are collected from the wild or produced in traditional production systems with little or no external inputs 8.Receive little attention from research, extension services, farmers, policy and decision makers, donors, technology providers and consumers 9.May be highly nutritious and/or have medicinal properties or other multiple uses.