Neglected and underutilised species (NUS): an analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT)

Despite the growing attention to the neglected and underutilised species (NUS) as a valid instrument to promote not only sustainable agriculture and food systems but also sustainable development in rural areas, attempts to move from good intentions to effective actions have been limited. This is due, among others, to a gap in knowledge about the myriads of existing NUS and their potential. In this context, the present paper provides a comprehensive analysis of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) of crop NUS. Data for the SWOT analysis were retrieved through a review of the literature carried out in June 2022 on the Web of Science. Strengths relate, inter alia, to adaptability to harsh, marginal conditions, tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses (e.g. pests and diseases, drought) and low external input requirements of NUS as well as their high medicinal and nutritional values combined with widespread culinary traditions. Weaknesses regard low productivity as well as difficult access to quality seeds, inputs, technologies and knowledge. Higher demand from consumers as well as increasing attention to sustainability and resilience in the whole agri-food system and agroecology represent opportunities for the promotion of NUS to address challenges such as food and nutrition insecurity and poverty. Climate change, biodiversity loss and genetic erosion, land and agroecosystem degradation, loss of traditional knowledge and heritage, and competition from commercial crops are among the main threats to NUS. The SWOT of NUS outlined in this work should inform evidence-based policies and strategies for the promotion of NUS, especially in developing countries. They should also guide the undertakings and actions of all stakeholders interested in the development of NUS value chains

Transition framework for neglected and underutilized crop species

There are thousands of neglected and underutilized species (NUS) worldwide, but only a few make it to the mainstream and spotlight. The reason for that lies probably in the dynamics of the transition from a NUS to a major crop. However, there is no transition framework that specifically addresses NUS. To bridge the gap, this paper suggests a transition framework for NUS. This work was carried out within the project SUSTLIVES (Sustaining and improving local crop patrimony in Burkina Faso and Niger for better lives and ecosystems). It draws upon a search performed on the Web of Science in July 2022. The eligible articles were analysed using the Multi-Level Perspective (MLP) on socio-technical transitions and its three elements viz. niches, socio-technical regime and socio-technical landscape: Niches refer to NUS; the socio-technical regime relates to the incumbent, dominant system of major commercial staple crops, and includes factors hindering NUS integration; and the socio-technical landscape refers to policies and macro-trends affecting both the niche and the regime. The transition dynamics and success depend not only on the characteristics of the niche NUS (cf. strengths and weaknesses), regime and landscape, but also on the type, intensity and timing of interactions among them. The interaction of elements as well as transition speed are moderated by the levers of change that lie in the areas of policy, finance and market, technology and practices, culture, and science and innovation. Further work is needed to refine and test the framework in different contexts and on various NUS

Sustainability of neglected and underutilised species (NUS): Towards an assessment matrix for crop species.

Neglected and underutilised species (NUS) are widely claimed to contribute to sustainability and sustainable development. Verifying such a claim implies the use of a scientifically sound assessment tool. In this context, the present article aims to suggest a matrix for the assessment of the environmental, economic and social sustainability of NUS. In particular, the paper provides a set of indicators and metrics to assess the different sustainability dimensions. It draws upon a search carried out on the Web of Science in May 2022 that returned 126 records. Eligible documents underwent two steps: in the first step, indicators, metrics and criteria regarding sustainability were identified; in the second step, expert knowledge was used to systematise the identified indicators and metrics according to the three sustainability dimensions and group them into themes. Agronomic aspects were included in the environmental dimension while nutrition, health and cultural aspects were included in the social dimension. One of the main results of the analysis is that there is a dearth of quality scholarly documents dealing with the assessment of NUS sustainability. Furthermore, economic and social indicators and metrics are hard to find. The operationalisation of the proposed indicators requires their contextualisation taking into consideration the conditions in each country/territory as well as the NUS concerned. A further important step to operationalise the proposed matrix implies the identification of a sustainability threshold and an assessment scale for each indicator. Apart from sustainability assessment, the proposed assessment matrix can allow selecting the NUS that have the highest potential and whose promotion can contribute to the sustainable development of the concerned countries and territories

Orphan crops and sustainability transitions in agri-food systems: Towards a multidimensional and multilevel transition framework

Neglected and underutilized species (NUS i.e. orphan crops) are widely claimed to contribute to sustainable development. However, the relationship between NUS and sustainable agri-food systems is still unclear. Therefore, this paper analyses the role of NUS in the transition towards sustainable and resilient agri-food systems and identifies actions needed and levers of change. It draws upon a systematic review of 35 articles identified through a search performed in July 2022 on the Web of Science. The analysis of the literature was conducted following the Multi-Level Perspective on socio-technical transitions (MLP) and its three elements viz. niches, sociotechnical regime and sociotechnical landscape. The review suggests that the transition dynamics and success depend not only on the features of the niche NUS (cf. strengths and weaknesses), regime (cf. barriers to change and competitiveness of major crops with NUS) and landscape (cf. macro-trends and policies) but also on the interactions among them. The levers of change lie in the areas of policy, market and finance, technology, culture, and science and innovation. Further research is needed to elucidate the mechanisms leading to the mainstreaming of NUS into agri-food systems as well as the dynamics of interaction between niche NUS and commercial, staple crops

Conservation and Promotion of Neglected and Underutilized Crop Species in West Africa: Policy and Governance

Neglected and underutilized crop species (NUCS/NUS) are claimed to contribute to sustainable development. However, many scholars argue that enabling policies and appropriate governance are needed to operationalize such a potential contribution. Therefore, this systematic review analyzes the literature dealing with the relationships between policy and governance aspects and the promotion of NUS in West Africa. It draws upon 45 eligible articles identified through a search conducted on the Web of Science in December 2023. The existing literature focuses on Nigeria and a few NUS, especially cassava. The addressed policy domains include biodiversity conservation; subsidies; seed systems; food security, self-sufficiency and sovereignty; trade and import substitution; food safety and health; climate change and energy; land use; research, innovation and development; and support and assistance systems. Meanwhile, the main governance domains are (1) inclusiveness and participation and (2) institutional capacity. The analysis suggests that NUS development is also affected by sectoral policy coherence and consistency as well as the policy–governance interplay. Future studies should widen the scope in terms of geographical coverage in West Africa and NUS addressed to allow for more comparisons. Furthermore, there is a need for further research to understand the synergies and trade-offs between sectoral policies affecting NUS promotion and development

Assessment of the sustainability of neglected and underutilised crop species: SUSTLIVES approach

There are different approaches and frameworks for the assessment of sustainability in agriculture and food systems, but only a few of them focus on crops. This gap is even more evident when it comes to the so-called neglected and underutilised species (NUS). To bridge this gap, the present paper describes an approach for the assessment of the environmental, social and economic sustainability of NUS developed within the project SUSTLIVES (Sustaining and improving local crop patrimony in Burkina Faso and Niger for better lives and ecosystems). The indicators identified through a literature review, based on the Web of Science, have been integrated with other indicators used for sustainability evaluation in the agri-food sector. Based on that, a sustainability assessment approach (list of indicators, evaluation methods and units; scoring system and mode of aggregation of scores; reference crops for the selected NUS) was developed. Then, two workshops were organized in Niamey (January 2023) and Ouagadougou (February 2023) to validate the sustainability assessment approach. The validated sustainability assessment matrix contains 27 indicators divided into different themes covering the three dimensions of sustainability: environmental (environmental integrity, agronomic performance and productivity), social (cultural importance and relevance, nutritional quality and diversity, employment, equity and accessibility) and economic (competitiveness, profitability). A scoring system was proposed for each indicator; from 0 (unsustainable) to 10 (very sustainable) with 5 corresponding to the sustainability benchmark value. Besides sustainability assessment, the developed approach allows selecting the NUS with the highest potential in view of their promotion and the development of their value chains.202