Global Research On Underutilized Crops An Assessment Of Current Activities And Proposals For Enhanced Cooperation

This book includes 20 different chapters, where the authors have addressed various aspects of the cultivation, taxonomy, socio-economic importance and breeding and development as applied to neglected and underutilized crops. The first chapter deals with the more general aspects of the cultivation and propagation of these crops, thirteen chapters co

This book covers important topics on various neglected and underutilised crops (vegetables, cereals, fruit crops). It gives an overview of the potential, availability of genetic and genomic resources, and the future prospects of these food crops. The book presents different chapters on the importance of underutilised crops with respect to sustainable agriculture and describes the approaches that must be followed for improving the yield and production of these crops. It covers a wide range of food crops such as millet, buckwheat, underutilised spices, underutilised vegetables and underutilised fruit crops. It also provides insights on what smart foods are? And, whether these neglected crops qualify as smart foods? This up-to-date and informative book is meant for food scientists, geneticists, breeders and biotechnologists. It is of interest to students, researchers and course instructors in these fields.

These proceedings contain 49 papers presented in the following sections: (i) crop wild relative conservation; (ii) establishing inventories and conservation priorities; (iii) threat and conservation assessment; (iv) genetic erosion and genetic pollution; (v) in situ conservation; (vi) ex situ conservation; (vii) information management; (viii) gene donors for crop improvement; (ix) use of crop wild relatives and underutilized species; and (x) global issues in crop wild relative conservation and use.

This publication demonstrates the benefits of neglected and underutilized species, including amaranth, sorghum and cowpea, and their potential contribution to achieving Zero Hunger in South and Southeast Asia.

As human populations grow, so do the resource demands imposed on ecosystems, and the impacts of anthropogenic use and abuse are becoming ever more apparent. This has led to the development of the concept of ecosystem services, which describes the beneficial functions provided by ecosystems for human society. Ecosystem services are limited and hence threatened by over-exploitation, and there is an urgent imperative to evaluate trade-offs between immediate and long-term human needs and to take action to protect biodiversity, which is a key factor in delivering ecosystem services. To help inform decision-makers, economic value is increasingly being associated with many ecosystem services and is often based on the replacement with anthropogenic alternatives. The on-going challenges of maintaining sustainable ecosystems and prescribing economic value to nature is prompting multi-disciplinary shifts in how we recognise and manage the environment. This volume brings together emerging topics in environmental science, making an excellent source for policy makers and environmental consultants working in the field or related areas. Ecosystem Services also serves as a concise and referenced primer for advanced students and researchers in environmental science and management.

Future Foods: Global Trends, Opportunities, and Sustainability Challenges highlights trends and sustainability challenges along the entire agri-food supply chain. Using an interdisciplinary approach, this book addresses innovations, technological developments, state-of-the-art based research, value chain analysis, and a summary of future sustainability challenges. The book is written for food scientists, researchers, engineers, producers, and policy makers and will be a welcomed reference. Provides practical solutions for overcoming recurring sustainability challenges along the entire agri-food supply chain Highlights potential industrial opportunities and supports circular economy concepts Proposes novel concepts to address various sustainability challenges that can affect and have an impact on the future generations