Unpacking the Multifaceted Benefits of Indigenous Crops for Food Security: A Review of Nutritional, Economic and Environmental Impacts in Southern Africa

Abstract

Indigenous and traditional food crops (ITFCs) are essential to initiatives aimed at increasing food and nutrition security and diversifying the food supply. Therefore, this study sought to evaluate the benefits associated with ITFCs, particularly for food security. The Vigna subterranea (Bambara groundnut), Vigna unguiculata (Cowpea), Colocasia esculenta (Taro), and Sinapis arvensis (Wild mustard) are examples of indigenous crops that were introduced for food security in Southern Africa. This review assessed the advantages of indigenous crops for food security and examined literature, reports, and case studies from 2009 to 2024 using academic databases, like Scopus, Web of Science, JSTOR, Google Scholar, and AGRIS, to assess how indigenous crops impact on food security and the benefits thereof. The primary inclusion criteria were nutritional, economic and environmental impacts of these indigenous crops for food security in Southern Africa. The review concludes that maximizing these benefits requires removing obstacles through capacity-building and policy reforms. The need to integrate precision agriculture to increase production of indigenous crops should be considered and the coherent use of food crops associated with food security must be developed by the government. A comprehensive strategy centered on investment in sustainable farming and climate smart agriculture is recommended to ensure food security.