Foods from the past, foods of the future

Webinar hosted by IFAD the 23 March 2021 - Agrobiodiversity is a strategic asset to fight food and nutrition insecurity, climate change and poverty. There are over 5,000 food crops, but global food systems continue to be dominated by only a few (rice, maize and wheat). While neglected and underutilized species (NUS) are at the margins of research and development, they are dominant in the knowledge of farmers and local communities. Neglected and underutilized species are consumed almost exclusively in rural areas. Thanks to their higher nutrient values they are now booming and becoming trendy food items, particularly among health-conscious consumers.The webinar focused on the potential of neglected and underutilized species for:• improving nutrition through nutrition-sensitive agriculture and diversified sustainable healthy diets• market opportunities and improved livelihoods and well-being of small-scale producers, Indigenous Peoples and women• develop a "new frontier" to look at all those who are left behind in the knowledge generation processes, conservation of biodiversity and in the governance of research.