Future Smart Food: Rediscovering Hidden Treasures of Neglected and Underutilized Species for Zero Hunger in Asia

For centuries people in Asia and the Pacific region have grown and consumed a wide variety of nutritious foods. Unfortunately, more recent generations have slowly but surely changed their diets and have moved away from many of these traditional foods. The purpose of this publication is: i) to demonstrate the multidimensional benefits of neglected and underutilized species (NUS) and their potential contribution to achieving Zero Hunger; ii) to identify promising NUS – sometimes called ‘orphan crops’ – that are nutrition-dense, climate-resilient, economically viable and locally available or adaptable as ‘Future Smart Food’ (FSF); iii) to highlight the challenges and opportunities for harnessing these less-mainstream food crops; and iv) to provide strategic recommendations to create an enabling environment for the promotion, production, marketing and consumption of FSF assuring healthy diets for the future.