Context

Indigenous people have an approximate population of 476 million across 90 countries with about 5,000 distinct cultures, accounting for most of the world’s cultural diversity. Indigenous people often farm marginal environments such as Less-Favourable Agricultural Areas (LFAAs), characterized by constrained agricultural potential and resource degradation attributable to biophysical and politico-socio-economic factors. Their low production potential is driven by rugged terrains, extreme weather conditions, poor soil and water quality, lack of socio-economic connectivity and limited exposure to agricultural intensification opportunities.

The agrobiodiversity and associated knowledge systems that these communities have protected for millennia are under threat. Nearly 10% of all domesticated breeds of animals for food and agriculture are already extinct and another one million plant and animal species now face extinction. Many of these species are climate- resilient and nutritious crops. Whilst the genetic diversity found in indigenous farming systems could become the foundation for future agricultural and food systems, of over 30,000 edible plants, fewer than 30 species grown as monocultures now provide most of the food consumed by 7.8 billion people. These mainstream crops monopolise agricultural research, investment, support and formal markets.

Game-changer technologies and innovations

To achieve sustainable livelihoods, indigenous people in marginal areas need game-changer technologies that ensure the conservation, quantity, quality and value of products from forgotten crops to external markets. Indigenous communities need knowledge systems that integrate their own expertise and belief systems with evidence from scientific studies and predictive models.

Breeding approaches need to utilize the inherent genetic variability in local crops to develop widely adapted cultivars for diverse biophysical and socioeconomic conditions, while preserving and enhancing agricultural biodiversity. This requires new cultivars with improved yield potential without compromising nutrient density and climate resilience.

To be cost-effective, productive and sustainable, crop management in marginal areas must both enhance productivity and reverse resource-degradation. For this, innovations must utilize an understanding of ecological processes and soil health rather than dependence on external inputs for crop production.

Priorities and proposed actions

Mainstreaming diverse value chains into agrifood systems requires four drivers for change:

• Evidence-Based Policies. Priorities should be informed by global knowledge systems that use digital technologies to link global scientific evidence with local indigenous knowledge of the cultural and traditional value of traditional crops beyond yield-for-profit alone;
• Advocacy for Agency. Advocacy supported by evidence, policy and the agency of indigenous communities opens avenues for farmer-centred, pro-poor transformation of food systems and the reorientation of research and innovation to mainstream value chains and value-added products from underutilized crops;
• Collective Actions. The GFAR Collective Action on Forgotten Foods, which explicitly includes a Manifesto for Forgotten Foods, is a major opportunity for indigenous communities in marginal areas to be part of a global effort to mainstream diverse value chains;
• Co-ordinated Investment. Policies encouraging public and private investments and research and development for indigenous communities and marginal areas are imperative to improve the sustainability and resilience of their food systems.