Recommendations of the Underutilized Plants Symposium

This just in from Hannah Jaenicke, Director of the International Centre for Underutilized Crops (ICUC): 

Over 200 delegates from 55 countries gathered in Arusha, Tanzania 3-7 March 2008 for an International Symposium on “Underutilized plant species for food, nutrition, income and sustainable development”. The Symposium was co-convened under the umbrella of the International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS) by the International Centre for Underutilised Crops (ICUC) with the Global Facilitation Unit for Underutilized Species, Bioversity International, GlobalHort, Plant Resources of Tropical Africa, and the World Vegetable Center, whose Regional Center for Africa was the local host.

The symposium was a resounding approval of the need for a working group on underutilized plant species to provide a voice to those who are working on these plants. The delegates endorsed the International Society for Horticultural Sciences’ working group on underutilized plants, which is co-chaired by Dr Hannah Jaenicke of the International Centre for Underutilised Crops (ICUC) and Dr Irmgard Hoeschle-Zeledon of the Global Facilitation Unit for Underutilized Species (GFU), and filled it with life and suggestions for future collaboration on research and development projects. A report will be published and circulated in the near future.

Following three days of over 150 scientific presentations, the participants developed a series of recommendations around four pertinent issues.

1. On the opportunity of using underutilized plant species as risk buffers in times of climate change:

• Build a database on climatic adaptability of underutilized species
• Identify underutilized species that tolerate various stress situations
• Involve communities in the conservation, information gathering, knowledge sharing and dissemination

2. On the opportunity of using underutilized plant species for better nutrition:

• Establish a database of existing information of nutritive values of underutilized species
• Develop a local/regional based priority list of top ten underutilized species
• Create awareness of the importance of diets with nutritional underutilized species
• Build capacity at all levels throughout the value chain
• Policy support should be sought from Government agencies (Ministries of Agriculture, Education, Health) to mainstream underutilized species in school and hospital feeding programs

3. On the challenge of enhanced and sustained market access for underutilized plant products:

• Share and disseminate successful case studies on market access (reasons for success and failure)
• Develop and implement an advocacy and lobbying strategy
• Promote partnerships between value actors
• Carry out and document economic and market studies of different aspects of value chains

4. On the challenges regarding using underutilized species without undermining agrobiodiversity:

• Strengthen research on benefits of diverse farming and ecosystems
• Carry out risk analyses of invasiveness of new species and pressure on biodiversity through promotion of particular species / varieties
• Develop guidelines and good practices for sustainable use of underutilized species
• Create awareness at school and community level on importance of biodiversity for their environment, farming systems and eco-systems
• Set up working groups at national and international level involving researchers, policy advocates and farmer organizations

These recommendations are now being taken forward by the Working Group chairs and thematic sub-groups will be set up to enhance communication and specific collaboration. Further details will be circulated soon.

You can become a member of the Working Group on Underutilized Plants by registering on www.ishs.org.