91茄子

Approximately 6000 edible plants are cultivated for human consumption although only 12 crop species account for the听majority of food globally (Hossain et al., 2021). Among these crops, only three cereals, namely, rice, maize and wheat听contribute to more than half of the calories consumed by humans.听On the other hand, large numbers of minor crops are extensively cultivated by smallholders or subsistence farmers in
the developing world, particularly in Africa, mainly for local consumption. Although these minor crops have limited听global significance, they play vital roles in the diet of local communities. In addition to providing income to subsistence听farmers, these crops serve as staple foods for most low-income consumers living in many African countries (Cullis &听Kunert, 2017; Tadele, 2020, pp. 1鈥�9). These crops are known by different names (Table 1.1.1). These include neglected听and underutilized, orphan, abandoned, lost, minor, traditional, indigenous, forgotten alternative crops or crops for the听future (Dwyer et al., 2022; Gregory et al., 2019; Mugiyo et al., 2021; Tadele, 2019; van Zonneveld et al., 2023). The same听group of crops is also known as indigenous and traditional food crops (ITFCs) (Akinola et al., 2020). The diverse names听given to these crops reflect the following characteristics: 鈥渘eglected鈥� (by science and development), 鈥渙rphan鈥� (without听champions or crop experts), 鈥渕inor鈥� (relative to global crops), 鈥減romising鈥� (for emerging markets, or because of previously
unrecognized value traits), 鈥渘iche鈥� (of marginal importance in production systems and economies), and 鈥渢raditional鈥澨�(used for centuries or even millennia) (Tadele, 2019).

These diverse names do not necessarily refer to the same category of crops. For example, leafy vegetables refer to only听a particular group of crops within NUCs or orphan crops. However, the most common and frequently used names听referring to these crops are neglected and underutilized crops (NUCs) and orphan crops. To avoid confusion, unless听otherwise referring to a specific group of crops, the term NUCs is consistently used throughout the chapter.听The NUCs possess several desirable agronomical, nutritional and health-related benefits, which make them favorable听crops for food, feed, fiber, oil or medicinal purposes. Despite their huge importance, the global area under NUCs听cultivation has been decreasing over time due to the replacement by exotic crops intensive farming (Integrating Africa鈥檚听forgotten foods for better nutrition, 2024). The decrease in the cultivation of NUCs might also be due to neglect by the听scientific community. The NUCs receive limited research attention and are not traded internationally at a rate comparable听to that of the major food crops such as wheat and rice (Talabi et al., 2022). In addition, the potential value and benefits of听NUCs to the African food system have not been properly explored (Akinola et al., 2020). This chapter presents information
on the following points referring to African NUCs: (i) types and

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