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Growing the Future

How indigenous crops can transform food security and nutrition in Africa

Africa’s food security is at a crossroads. As climate instability destabilizes traditional yields and population growth accelerates demand, indigenous crops (or ‘opportunity crops’) offer a strategic paradigm shift. These varieties are centuries-adapted to local climates but remain an untapped economic and nutritional goldmine. With targeted investment, they can transform from ‘neglected’ varieties into powerful drivers of national food security and sustainable economic growth.

This transition is necessitated by the complex, multidimensional nature of food insecurity and malnutrition across the continent, which are fuelled by interconnected economic, environmental, and social factors.1 The urgency is compounded by climate change, which is projected to further reduce both the yields and the nutritional density of current staple foods,2 3 even as rapid population growth intensifies total food demand.4 Effectively addressing these intersecting crises requires a move towards diversified, locally adapted solutions that simultaneously enhance climate resilience and national nutrition.

The strategic advantage of indigenous crops

Delivering a triple win for national resilience

Indigenous crops offer a robust defense against agricultural instability, providing a ‘triple win’ for national resilience: 5 6 7 8 9

Infographic showing benefits of a food system: climate and soil resilience, food system stability, and nutritional value, each with icons and bullet points explaining their advantages.

Unlocking new value chains and market sovereignty

Indigenous crops represent an untapped economic frontier for Africa. By commercializing these resilient varieties, we can transform marginal lands into productive assets, creating robust local value chains that shield smallholders from global market volatility. While crops like lentils already demonstrate growing global demand,10 strategic policy frameworks will ensure that this growth translates directly into domestic prosperity – turning Africa from a net importer of staples into a leader of high-value, climate-smart agri-exports.

Global growth in lentil production since 1961

Bar and line graph showing the increase in production, area harvested, and yield of a crop from 1961–63 to 2021–23, with all three metrics rising over time.
Adapted from: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2018) 11 and updated with data from (FAO 2025): Crops and livestock products. FAOSTAT 12

Star diagrams of crop adaptation indicators

Climate resilience, drought tolerance, and nutritional value.

Radar chart for fonio displaying values for nutrients (calcium, iron, zinc, folate, vitamin A), yield traits, number of accessions globally and by continent, and climate resilience.
Radial bar chart displaying metrics for pigeon pea, including nutrient content, drought and heat tolerance, yield data, genetic accessions, and programme scales at global and continental levels.
Radar chart for sesame showing values for calcium, iron, zinc, folate, vitamin A, protein, accessions (global/continent), programme scale, yield, projected yield, drought and heat tolerance.
Radar chart showing okra’s values for nutrients (calcium, iron, zinc, folate, vitamin A, protein), yield metrics, drought and heat tolerance, and genetic accessions.

CASE STUDY

Kenya’s pigeon pea innovation

Kenya’s experience with the ‘Mituki’ pigeon pea variety demonstrates how targeted research and development can yield immediate macroeconomic benefits. Developed through a strategic partnership between Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization and International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, this variety matures in half the traditional time without sacrificing quality. 13 The impact has been transformative: seed production is projected to surge by over 700% – from six metric tons in 2024 to 50 metric tons next season. This ‘storm’ of adoption proves that when indigenous crops are modernized, they meet immediate market demand, de-risk smallholder farming, and provide a high-velocity return on investment for national agricultural budgets. 14 15

A policy path to agricultural independence

While indigenous crops face systemic hurdles – such as underfunded research and informal seed systems – they offer a direct path to food sovereignty. 16 As the FAO underscores, these crops are not just heritage; they are high-protein, climate-resilient assets with significant commercial potential. 17

To unlock this wealth, ProVeg recommends four strategic pillars for action:

1

Strategic investment in research and development: direct national agricultural budgets towards the documentation, breeding, and conservation of indigenous varieties to bridge the productivity gap.

2

Policy integration: formally embed indigenous crops into National Agricultural Investment Plans, climate adaptation strategies, and Food-Based Dietary Guidelines  to ensure long-term institutional backing.


3

Infrastructure and market access: modernize seed systems and invest in post-harvest processing technologies to transform ‘traditional’ crops into competitive, market-ready commodities.


4

Public-private partnerships: launch national awareness campaigns to shift consumer mindsets and partner with the private sector to integrate these crops into local and regional supply chains.

Conclusion

Indigenous crops are Africa’s ‘hidden harvest’. With targeted policy incentives and institutional support, we can transition from a vulnerable, import-dependent food system to one that is sustainable, nutritious, and rooted in African resilience.

References

  1. Delgado, C. et al (2023). Food Insecurity in Africa: Drivers and Solutions. Available at: https://www.sipri.org/publications/2023/policy-reports/food-insecurity-africa-drivers-and-solutions [13.11.2025].
  2. Kidane, B. et al (2025): Nutritional challenges of staple crops due to increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide levels: Case of Sub-Saharan Africa. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jafr.2024.101592
  3. Hultgren, A. et al (2025). Impacts of climate change on global agriculture accounting for adaptation. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09085-w
  4. Hall, C. et al (2017): The impact of population growth and climate change on food security in Africa. https://doi.org/10.1080/14735903.2017.1293929
  5. Van Zonneveld, M. et al (2023): Forgotten food crops in sub-Saharan Africa for healthy diets in a changing climate. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2205794120
  6. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2018). Future smart food. Available at: https://openknowledge.fao.org/items/6df523ae-3709-4547-a0b7-0a7496403123
  7. Ndlovu, M. et al (2024). Underutilized crops for diverse, resilient and healthy agri-food systems: a systematic review of sub-Saharan Africa. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2024.1498402
  8. World Bank Group (2019). Productive Diversificationin African Agriculture and its Effects on Resilience and Nutrition. Available at: https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/942331530525570280/pdf/Productive-Diversification-in-African-Agriculture-and-its-Effects-on-Resilience-and-Nutrition.pdf [13.11.2015]
  9. Waha, K. et al (2018). Agricultural diversification as an important strategy for achieving food security in Africa. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.14158
  10. EHL Insights (2024). Quinoa’s rise as superfood: Benefits & costs. Available at: https://hospitalityinsights.ehl.edu/quinoas-rise-as-superfood-benefits-costs [13.11.2025].
  11. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2018). Future smart food. Available at: https://openknowledge.fao.org/items/6df523ae-3709-4547-a0b7-0a7496403123
  12. FAO (2025): Crops and livestock products. FAOSTAT. 
Available at: https://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QCL [Accessed: 01.03.2026]
  13. International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (2024). Machakos farmer reaps prosperity with new pigeon pea variety. Available at: https://www.cimmyt.org/news/machakos-farmer-reaps-prosperity-with-new-pigeonpea-variety/ [13.11.2025]
  14. Daily Nation (2024). New pigeon pea varieties change Ukambani farmers’ fortunes. Available at: https://nation.africa/kenya/health/new-pigeon-pea-varieties-change-ukambani-farmers-fortunes-4707576 [13.11.2025]
  15. International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (2025). Kibwezi Farmers Embrace the Mituki Pigeonpea Variety Through Community Partnerships. Available at: https://www.cimmyt.org/blogs/kibwezi-farmers-embrace-the-mituki-pigeonpea-variety-through-community-partnerships/ [13.11.2025]
  16. McMullin, S. et al (2021). Determining appropriate interventions to mainstream nutritious orphan crops into African food systems. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gfs.2020.100465
  17. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2018). Future smart food. Available at: https://openknowledge.fao.org/items/6df523ae-3709-4547-a0b7-0a7496403123