QUALITY CHARACTERISTICS AND BENEFITS OF NEGLECTED CROPS IN NIGERIA
PREFACE
The challenge of feeding a growing world is real, and it is at the center of the efforts to achieve Tglobal food security. Previous efforts in making food available, affordable, and accessible have drastically reduced because of the urgency to resolve COVID-19 pandemic, climate change and civil insecurities. Consequently, there's food shortage which is the principal factor driving food prices. World bank has warned the global community to take pro-active measures to stem the growth food deficits/hunger, malnutrition, and widespread poverty.
To combat the recent crisis, Nigeria must take advantage of crops that are grown in rural communities as staple foods and thrive well in soils poor in nutrients. There is evidence that many crops fall into these categories described using highly diversified terminologies neglected crops or underutilized crops. We have adopted the term “neglected crops” to show that despite the usefulness and potential of the selected crops covered in this study, they have not been fully exploited.
Neglected and underutilized crops would need to be exploited to meet the dietary and nutritional needs of the teeming populace to support the quest to achieve national food security. An appraisal of the crops' quality characteristics and health benefits provide additional insights for structured research and extension services on these crops and their contributions to the national economy. Such an appraisal could yield reliable information on the actual nutrient composition of the crops and their potential contributions to the health and wellness of humans.
This report is a compilation of the quality characteristics and health benefits of twenty-two (16) crops surveyed from twenty-four (24) states of the country. Crops in this study is based on their prospects/scale of production, relative abundance in the target selected states, and. In a few instances, however, some states were excluded because of the states that have better potentials for some crops that, and because of security/other issues.
I am optimistic that the document a useful guide for the utilization and integration of the crops into everyday meals in Nigeria while also providing a baseline data for future research works. It also adds to available data on forgotten foods in Africa which FARA is promoting.
Dr. P. O. Pessu
Executive Director/CEO
Nigerian Stored Products Research Institute
Km 3 Asa Dam Road, PMB 1489, Ilorin
February, 2022
