Orphan Crops for Sustainable Food and Nutrition Security discusses the issues, challenges, needs and opportunities related to the promotion of orphan crops, known also as neglected and underutilized species (NUS). The book is structured into six parts, covering the following themes: introduction to NUS, approaches, methods and tools for the use enhancement of NUS, integrated conservation and use of minor millets, nutritional and food security roles of minor millets, stakeholders and global champions, and, building an enabling environment. Presenting a number of case studies at the regional and country levels, the chapters cover different but highly interlinked aspects along the value chains, from acquisition and characterization of genetic diversity, cultivation and harvesting to value addition, marketing, consumption and policy for mainstreaming. Cross-cutting issues like gender, capacity building and empowerment of vulnerable groups are also addressed by authors. Representatives from communities, research for development agencies and the private sector also share their reflections on the needs for the use enhancement of NUS from their own perspectives. This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of food security, sustainable agriculture, nutrition and health and development, as well as practitioners and policymakers involved in building more resilient food and production systems.

Orphan crops play an important role in food and nutrition security especially in growing economies where small-holder farmers produce the majority of food. Despite their importance in global agriculture and their often remarkable nutrient content and adaptation to challenging environmental conditions, orphan crops have received limited attention by the scientific community and industry. However, the diversity of neglected plant species provides a large genetic resource that could significantly contribute to broadening the biodiversity of trait-desired crops for novel value chains, sustainable development and food security. The uptake of new plant breeding techniques, notably genome editing, as well as ‘omic’ tools, are now accelerating translation of basic research and facilitating the exploration of orphan crops. These advancements also give rise to public and politic engagement discussions to maximize socio-economic impact. Given that the greatest need for food and nutritional security is in growing economies, issues of food sovereignty and sustainability of their food systems become front-and-centre. There is now an exceptional opportunity to tackle some of the major current challenges in agriculture, including climate change, sustainable cropping systems, food quality, and nutritional security through broadening research in wild relatives of crops and on orphan species. This Research Topic seeks to showcase research on neglected plants using advanced molecular technologies (e.g. genome sequencing, 'omics', etc) and new plant breeding approaches, methods, and tools. This Research Topic will also discuss the challenges and opportunities arising when modern breeding techniques are applied for translational research.

Global demand for food is rising as a result of increases in the global population as well as dietary changes. Furthermore, climate change exerts additional pressure on the food supply, adversely affecting sustainable food production. Increased temperatures and drought stresses coupled with the migration of pests limit crop yields and affect their nutritional quality. Many staple crops are unable to adapt to these changing climatic conditions. To achieve the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nation to end hunger and promote good health and well-being, concerted efforts need to be made to enhance food production while mitigating the effects of climate change through the promotion of climate-smart agricultural practices and the utilization of neglected and underutilized crop species. These species can be highly nutritious and well-adapted to different agroecologies and climatic conditions, meaning that they offer the possibility of improving food and nutritional security.

World’s population is projected to reach 9.7 billion in 2050 and 11.2 billion in 2100. To meet the food demands of the exponentially increasing population, a massive food production is necessary. Agricultural production on land and aquatic systems pose negative impacts on the earth’s ecosystems. Combined effects of climate change, land degradation, cropland losses, water scarcity and species infestations are major causes for loss of agricultural yields up to 25%. Therefore, the world needs a paradigm shift in agriculture development for sustainable food production and security through green revolution and eco-friendly approaches. Hence, agriculture practices must be sustained by the ability of farm land to produce food to satisfy human needs indefinitely as well as having sustainable impacts on the broader environment. The real agricultural challenges of the future as well as for today differ according to their geopolitical and socioeconomic contexts. Therefore, sustainable agriculture must be inclusive and have adaptability and flexibility over time to respond to demands for food production. Considering all these points, this book has been prepared to address and insights to generate awareness of food security and focuses on perspectives of sustainable food production and security towards human society. The book facilitates to describes the classical and recent advancement of technologies and strategies by sustainable way through plant and animal origin including, breeding, pest management, tissue culture, transgenic techniques, bio and phytoremediation, environmental stress and resistance, plant growth enhancing microbes, bio-fertilizer and integrated approaches of food nutrition. Chapters provide a new dimension to discuss the issues, challenges and strategies of agricultural sustainability in a comprehensive manner. It aims at educating the students, advanced and budding researchers to develop novel approaches for sustainability with environmentally sound practices.

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.

Nutritional security and ecosystem sustainability are the biggest challenges of the 21st century. Globally ~ 2.3 billion people suffer from malnutrition. According to estimates by the World Bank, malnutrition globally costs ~ $ 3.5 trillion per year. On the other hand, the production and availability of staple food is the major emphasis for conventional farming in developing and underdeveloped countries for assured food security. These staple foods are high in carbohydrates and energy availability but low in nutritional value, such as concerning micronutrient, phytochemical, and vitamin contents. Apart from adequate food, there should be consistent access, availability, and affordability of foods and beverages that are nutrient-dense, promote well-being, and minimize diseases. From the experience of the recent COVID-19 crisis, the importance of adequate dietary habits has been emphasized globally since food nutrients are considered inherent sources of immunomodulation.

Millets are popularly known as “nutri-cereals” due to their high calcium, dietary fiber, polyphenol, vitamins, and protein content. Millet crops have the potential to aid in food security efforts in regions where natural and manmade causes are deteriorating land resources. Nutriomics of Millet Crops emphasizes the importance of nutriomics of millet crops in the context of universal health, highlighting biotechnological advancements offering enrichment of the nutritional value of millets. Millet crops have the potential to be a staple crop, demonstrating an economically feasible approach to combat micronutrient malnutrition. Features: Presents comprehensive studies on health-promoting nutritional components of millets. Provides enumeration on molecular breeding strategies for improvement of millet nutraceuticals. Discusses genomics-assisted breeding for enhancement of nutritional quality in millets. Includes information related to sensory and biofortification of millet-based foods. By assessing the relevance of millets in sustainable global agro-ecosystems due to their nutritional and agronomic attributes, the United Nations celebrated 2023 as the “International Year of Millets.” This book complements this effort and is useful to researchers and policy planners working across the disciplines of plant breeding and food technology. Nutriomics of Millet Crops also encourages young researchers to explore this promising field.