Are Traditional Food Crops Really ‘Future Smart Foods?’ A Sustainability Perspective

Lipy Adhikari, Sabarnee Tuladhar, Abid Hussain and Kamal Aryal
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Lipy Adhikari: International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, Kathmandu 44600, Nepal
Sabarnee Tuladhar: International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, Kathmandu 44600, Nepal
Abid Hussain: International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, Kathmandu 44600, Nepal
Kamal Aryal: International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, Kathmandu 44600, Nepal

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 19, 1-16

Abstract: Abstrac t: This study attempted to assess the potential of traditional food crops (TFCs) to be ‘future smart foods’ through the lens of sustainability. Our study mainly relied on the primary data collected from farm households (n = 89) in the high mountains of Nepal and the hills of Bangladesh. The study found that farmers are gradually abandoning the cultivation of TFCs. In the last decade, cash crops such as mustard and cardamom in study villages in Nepal (SVN) and fruits and coffee in study villages in Bangladesh (SVB) were adopted to replace TFCs. In overall calorie intake at the household level, TFCs contributed only 3% and 7% respectively, in SVN and SVB. A sustainability analysis showed that TFCs have a huge potential to be ‘future smart foods’ because they are socially acceptable, have high nutritional values (social sustainability), and are key to the agrobiodiversity and resilience of farming systems (environmental sustainability). They also have the potential to improve famers’ income and are more efficient in energy use during production cycles (economic sustainability). To promote TFCs as a sustainable solution for local farming systems and nutrition security, there is the need for a behavior change of both farmers and consumers, respectively, through the favorable policy environment and public awareness.

Keywords: Traditional food crops; future smart foods; sustainability; Nepal; Bangladesh (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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