The first Steering Committee Meeting for the IFAD-EU project on NUS was held last week (17-19 May 2016) in New Delhi, India. The Project partners came together to share results from the first year of implementation and to discuss approaches going forward to continue with the pro-poor, gender-sensitive value chain development of climate-hardy and nutritious underutilized crops. Three workshops around the themes of value chains, nutrition, and gender helped deepen understanding of these aspects in each site and to fine tune plans for this year. As pointed out by Johann Hesse (EU) in the opening session, these themes are highly strategic for building more resilient productions systems and for the betterment of communities in south Asia and other regions of the world.
Amadou Sidibe (Institut d'Economie Rurale, IER) shared highlights from their research on fonio, Bambara groundnut, and nutritious underutilized vegetables in Mali. The important food security role of fonio, which matures in the height of the lean season, was strikingly revealed in the baseline study. IER has found that some facilities and processing groups for fonio already exist in the areas where the Project is working. These will be leveraged and additional groups and facilities developed to promote greater use and marketing of this tasty grain. A training course for women on processing and value addition of fonio, Bambara groundnut and local vegetables was a big success earlier this year. Additional community workshops will be held this year on novel recipes for fonio and Bambara groundnut that feature local vegetables, such as Corchorus olitorius and Amaranthus spp., to promote a nutritionally complete diet.
Following a similar approach, a recipe for preparing ‘tortillas’ with chaya (Mayan spinach, Cnidoscolus aconitifolius) was taught to the Project communities in Guatemala with great reception. Silvana Maselli (Universidad del Valle del Guatemala, UVG) explained how cuttings of chaya were provided to households involved in the Project to encourageuse and possible commercial production of this shrub, whose iron-rich leaves can be harvested all year long. Easy-to-read manuals with instructions for managing the chaya shrubs were produced and distributed along with the cuttings. This year, the project will map the value chain for chaya, assessing current consumer demand and develop best strategies to ensure women will benefit from the initiative. Trials to assess the performance and acceptability of drought-tolerant tepary bean (Phaseolus acutifolius) will also be carried out using the crowd-sourcing approach developed by Bioversity Scientist Jacob van Etten.
In India, the first year of the project involved the large-scale commercialization of kodo (Paspalum scrobiculatum) and kutki (Panicum sumatrense) millets through three farmer producer companies that were recently established in Mandla and Dindori districts of Madhya Pradesh. Ashis Mondal (ASA) explained how high quality millet seed is now being produced and sold through the farmer producer companies to help improve yields, along with the good agronomic practices that have been shared with farmers through training sessions and demonstration plots. Bulk purchase of grain has also been organized through the farmer producers companies to help secure a higher price for the farmers for their millet production. Profits from these commercialization efforts are opening a new income-earning opportunity for women who are the predominant shareholders in the farmer producer companies.
The participation of researchers from the North East Slow Food and Agrobiodiversity Society (NESFAS) enriched the discussion with their insights and experience in revitalizing local food culture among indigenous communities in north east India. Sara Manetto (Indigenous Partnership for Agrobiodiversity Research) shared highlights and recommendations from the Indigenous Terra Madre (ITM) event, held in Shillong last November that was attended by 606 delegates from 62 countries and 170 tribes around the world. The incredibly diverse and rich gathering celebrated and raised awareness on the critical role played by indigenous communities as custodians of agrobiodiversity and food culture all over the world. The momentum generated from this event has continued with the sharing of the ‘Shillong Declaration’ at the United Nations Gatherings of Indigenous People earlier this month. NESFAS and the Indigenous Partnership are actively working to move forward the recommendations emanating from ITM, including the need to strengthen agrobiodiversity networks and agroecological practices in India and other countries.
The plants used in the traditional cuisine of rural communities often have important values that are not well documented. Improving our knowledge and awareness of the nutritional values of the wide diversity of species used by communities was an important point highlighted by Vincent Darlong (IFAD) in the closing session as an important contribution the Project can make. The project will continue for three years to realize the potentials of hardy and nutritious local crops for climate change adaptation and better nutrition.
Related files
Meeting Agenda and Participants (230 KB)
Key Presentations
Results from Mali Year 1 and plans for Year 2 (A. Sidibe, IER) (886 KB)
Results from Guatemala Year 1 and plans for Year 2 (S. Maselli, UVG) (2.4 MB)
Results from India Year 1 and plans for Year 2 (A. Mondal, ASA) (1.4 MB)
Opportunities and stakeholders in millet promotion in India (O King, MSSRF) (4.3 MB)
Results from Indigenous Partnership Year 1 and plans for Year 2 (S. Manetto) (2.2 MB)
Workshop Presentations
NUS Value Chains Workshop (S. Padulosi, Bioversity International) (592 KB)
Baseline results: Cultivation and Sale of Target Crops (G. Gullotta and G. Meldrum) (1.9 MB)
NUS and Nutrition Workshop (G. Kennedy, Bioversity International) (941 KB)
Gender responsive methods and pathways for empowerment workshop (G. Meldrum) (2.5 MB)