article · Food and Energy Security
Global food systems currently rely on a narrow selection of species, creating serious risks for nutritional and food security. Diversifying crops, especially through the integration of indigenous species, provides a practical approach to building resilience against economic and climatic shocks. Greater species variety supplies genetic resources necessary for developing improved breeds and assists farmers in reducing operational risks compared to monoculture farming. Successfully transitioning to diverse cropping systems depends on structured collaboration across the entire supply chain, including agricultural producers, scientists, retailers, consumers, and government officials. Interdisciplinary research, participatory methods, and supportive policy frameworks are required to translate crop diversification into sustainable food systems that simultaneously conserve biodiversity and improve social well-being.
Modern agriculture depends heavily on just a handful of crops, making food supplies dangerously vulnerable to climate extremes and economic instability. Expanding the variety of cultivated plants, particularly neglected indigenous crops, safeguards food availability, enriches diets, and helps farming communities withstand unpredictable environmental shifts.
The review highlights opportunities for plant breeders, seed enterprises, and agricultural retailers to commercialise indigenous and alternative crop species. These crops could serve farmers seeking climate-resilient alternatives to traditional monocultures. However, because the abstract describes a broad review rather than a tested product or field trial, the insights remain at a conceptual, policy-shaping stage rather than near market deployment.
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Abstract The global food system's reliance on a few species threatens food and nutritional security. Species diversification, including indigenous species, is a viable option to address this issue. Diversity enhances food systems' resilience against climatic and economic shocks. It offers resources for improved breeds and allows farmers to mitigate risks. However, successful diversification demands collaboration among farmers, researchers, academics, professionals, retailers, consumers, and policymakers. This review analyzes the role of crop species diversity in food system transformation, focusing on monoculture vulnerabilities, diversification benefits, indigenous species' role in nutrition and food security, and the importance of integrated policies and multi‐stakeholder collaborations. We advocate for interdisciplinary research, participatory approaches, and supportive policies to foster diverse, resilient food systems that ensure food security, biodiversity conservation, and enhanced social well‐being amidst global challenges. While acknowledging the importance of diversity in animal species for food security, the focus of this review is on crop species diversity and its potential to transform food systems.
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DOI: 10.1002/fes3.558
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