Navigating challenges in native plant-based food value chains within the global food system: A systematic literature review

Mokaddes Ahmed Dipu, Julia Checco, Luke Williams, Yasmina Sultanbawa, Natalie A. Jones and Ammar Abdul Aziz

Agricultural Systems, 2025, vol. 228, issue C

Abstract: While there are thousands of native food plants worldwide, only four major crops account for 50 % of global primary crop production. This trend underscores a troubling erosion of agricultural diversity and the systematic sidelining of native plant foods, which have nourished communities for millennia. Connecting these underutilized native foods to global food systems presents a critical opportunity to enhance food security, economic resilience, nutritional diversity, environmental sustainability, and cultural preservation while supporting Indigenous knowledge systems and food sovereignty. However, this connection faces significant challenges, including the small-scale nature of native plant food production systems, demand vulnerabilities, persistent social stigma, and inefficiencies in production and distribution.

Keywords: Native plant-based food; Value chain; Underutilized plants; Farmers; Harvesters; Indigenous community (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:agisys:v:228:y:2025:i:c:s0308521x25001131

DOI: 10.1016/j.agsy.2025.104373

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