Just three plant species – wheat, maize and rice – account for 60% of all food eaten globally. A crop science expert argues that many of Africa’s 30,000 edible plants must be revived.
Cowpea is a popular protein source in West Africa.
Flickr
Indigenous foods such as cowpeas can improve people’s nutrition and help them cope with the hunger brought about by the effects of COVID-19 on foreign food imports.
Genetically engineered tobacco plants growing in a greenhouse.
Paul South
Paul South, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
As the climate changes and the population grows, meeting the demand for food will become more difficult as arable land declines. But an international team of scientists has figured out an innovative solution to dramatically bumping up crop yields.
Traditional taro pits can be used to grow nutritious vegetables for the entire household.
Graham Lyons
Robert Edis, Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research; Geoff Dean, University of Tasmania e Graham Lyons, University of Adelaide
We set out to discover whether it’s possible to reduce the alarming rates of non-communicable diseases in Pacific nations while improving nutrition security and income.
South African’s maize crops are an example of a GMO crop.
Reuters
Professor of Climate Change, Food Systems and Health in the Centre on Climate Change and Planetary Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine