{"id":69519,"date":"2024-04-23T08:12:27","date_gmt":"2024-04-23T08:12:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cifor-icraf.org\/?post_type=press-release&p=69519"},"modified":"2024-04-30T07:04:56","modified_gmt":"2024-04-30T07:04:56","slug":"research-paper-on-africas-forgotten-foods-wins-prestigious-cozzarelli-prize-in-washington-dc","status":"publish","type":"press-release","link":"https:\/\/www.cifor-icraf.org\/pt-br\/press\/press-release\/research-paper-on-africas-forgotten-foods-wins-prestigious-cozzarelli-prize-in-washington-dc\/","title":{"rendered":"Research paper on Africa\u2019s \u2018forgotten\u2019 foods wins prestigious Cozzarelli Prize in Washington, DC"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Mango, okra, onion, sweetsop, jackfruit, coconut, finger millet, and bitter gourd were among the 58 food crops identified in the study that are micronutrient-rich and suitable for integration into cropping systems under current and projected climatic conditions. Photo by Ollivier Girad\/CIFOR-ICRAF<\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

TAINAN CITY, TAIWAN and NAIROBI, KENYA (23 April 2024)<\/strong> – An international research team led by the World Vegetable Center (WorldVeg<\/a>), and including scientists from the Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF<\/a>), has won the 2023 Cozzarelli Prize for an article on the potential of \u2018forgotten\u2019 food crops in sub-Saharan Africa to provide healthy diets in a changing climate.<\/p>\n

The paper<\/a> was one of six selected by the editorial board of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences<\/em> (PNAS) \u2013 a prestigious scientific journal based in Washington, DC \u2013 to receive the annual award for scientific excellence and originality at a ceremony<\/a> on 28 April 2024.<\/p>\n

Papers were chosen from more than 3,000 open-access research articles that appeared in the journal last year and represent the six broadly defined classes under which the National Academy of Sciences is organized.<\/p>\n

The study \u2013 which was selected in the Applied Biological, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences category of the Cozzarelli Prize \u2013 also involved multidisciplinary scientists from the University of Abomey-Calavi (Benin), the National Taiwan University, and Scotland\u2019s Rural College in Edinburgh.<\/p>\n

The study used climate modelling to assess the potential of 138 traditional food plants that could diversify or replace staple crops, and identified 58 that are micronutrient-rich and are suitable for integration into cropping systems under current and projected climatic conditions. The authors concluded that diversifying food production in Africa with these neglected \u2018opportunity crops\u2019 improves both the dietary health and climate resilience of food systems in sub-Saharan Africa.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur study shows that in most locations where major staples are currently grown in sub-Saharan Africa, one or more forgotten food crops from different food groups will be suitable for cultivation under 2070 climate conditions \u2013 and can diversify major staples to support more nutrient-rich diets,\u201d says Maarten van Zonneveld, head of genetic resources at WorldVeg in Taiwan.<\/p>\n

The research was part of various initiatives that the study\u2019s collaborating partners are involved in. WorldVeg is the only organization with a global mandate for vegetable research and development \u2013 including traditional crops \u2013 and works closely with the paper\u2019s co-authors in Benin and Taiwan. CIFOR-ICRAF scientists were involved in the modelling and data analysis, and built on their rich experience with tree and shrub foods.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur results suggest that diversifying sub-Saharan African food production with forgotten food crops could improve climate resilience and dietary health,\u201d says Stepha McMullin, a development specialist at CIFOR-ICRAF in Kenya. \u201cBut to successfully mainstream these foods, it is crucial that we work closely with both local producers and consumers. At CIFOR\u2013ICRAF, we already work with rural communities in East and Southern Africa to do this, by designing and implementing locally tailored food tree portfolios.\u201d<\/p>\n

Recipients of the Cozzarelli Prize \u2013 which is named after former PNAS Editor-in-Chief Nicholas R. Cozzarelli \u2013 will be recognized at the awards ceremony during the annual meeting of the National Academy of Sciences. Online registration is possible here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For further information:<\/strong><\/p>\n