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Conservation and Use of Genetic Resources of Underutilized Crops in the Americas—A Continental Analysis

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  • Gea Galluzzi

    (Bioversity International, Regional Office for the Americas, c/o CIAT, km 17 Recta Cali-Palmira, Cali, Colombia)

  • Isabel López Noriega

    (Bioversity International, Via dei Tre Denari, 472/a Maccarese, Rome 00057, Italy)

Abstract

Latin America is home to dramatically diverse agroecological regions which harbor a high concentration of underutilized plant species, whose genetic resources hold the potential to address challenges such as sustainable agricultural development, food security and sovereignty, and climate change. This paper examines the status of an expert-informed list of underutilized crops in Latin America and analyses how the most common features of underuse apply to these. The analysis pays special attention to if and how existing international policy and legal frameworks on biodiversity and plant genetic resources effectively support or not the conservation and sustainable use of underutilized crops. Results show that not all minor crops are affected by the same degree of neglect, and that the aspects under which any crop is underutilized vary greatly, calling for specific analyses and interventions. We also show that current international policy and legal instruments have so far provided limited stimulus and funding for the conservation and sustainable use of the genetic resources of these crops. Finally, the paper proposes an analytical framework for identifying and evaluating a crop’s underutilization, in order to define the most appropriate type and levels of intervention (international, national, local) for improving its status.

Suggested Citation

  • Gea Galluzzi & Isabel López Noriega, 2014. "Conservation and Use of Genetic Resources of Underutilized Crops in the Americas—A Continental Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 6(2), pages 1-38, February.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:6:y:2014:i:2:p:980-1017:d:33201
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Miguel A Altieri & Clara I Nicholls, 2008. "Scaling up Agroecological Approaches for Food Sovereignty in Latin America," Development, Palgrave Macmillan;Society for International Deveopment, vol. 51(4), pages 472-480, December.
    2. Gruère, Guillaume & Nagarajan, Latha & King, E.D.I. Oliver, 2009. "The role of collective action in the marketing of underutilized plant species: Lessons from a case study on minor millets in South India," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 34(1), pages 39-45, February.
    3. Sedjo, Roger A, 1992. "Property Rights, Genetic Resources, and Biotechnological Change," Journal of Law and Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 35(1), pages 199-213, April.
    4. Renkow, Mitch & Byerlee, Derek, 2010. "The impacts of CGIAR research: A review of recent evidence," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(5), pages 391-402, October.
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    Cited by:

    1. Lipy Adhikari & Abid Hussain & Golam Rasul, 2017. "Tapping the Potential of Neglected and Underutilized Food Crops for Sustainable Nutrition Security in the Mountains of Pakistan and Nepal," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(2), pages 1-18, February.
    2. Gennifer Meldrum & Stefano Padulosi & Gaia Lochetti & Rose Robitaille & Stefano Diulgheroff, 2018. "Issues and Prospects for the Sustainable Use and Conservation of Cultivated Vegetable Diversity for More Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 8(7), pages 1-21, July.
    3. Martin, Inès & Vranken, Liesbet & Ugás, Roberto, 2021. "Farmers’ Preferences to Cultivate Threatened Crop Varieties: Evidence from Peru," 2021 Conference, August 17-31, 2021, Virtual 315216, International Association of Agricultural Economists.

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