The potential role of Neglected and Underutilized Plant Species (NUS) in improving women’s empowerment and nutrition in Sub-Saharan area.

MV Conti, A Campanaro, P Coccetti, R De Giuseppe, A Galimberti, M Labra, H Cena,
Laboratory of Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition- Department of Public Health, Experimental and forensic Medicine – University of Pavia, Pavia (Italy)
Department of Biotechnology and Biosciences – University of Milan – Bicocca, Milan (Italy)
Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics Service, Unit of Internal Medicine and Endocrinology, ICS Maugeri IRCCS, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy

Introduction and objectives: in the context of nutrition transition, Sub Saharan Africa (SSA) women are clearly the most critical target group from a nutrition standpoint, and looking at the women’s role in food production, huge discrimination still exists. Food-based women-centered strategies are recommended to address nutrient gaps, but also to educate and empower women. In this context, local natural resources, such as African Neglected and Underutilized Plant Species (NUS), may contribute to adding nutritional value, enriching diet diversity and ensuring nutrition security. The aim of the manuscript is to focus on the nutritional status of the SSA population and the role of local agriculture strategy to improve food production, diet diversity and also to increase income-generating activities for the woman.
Research methodology: a literature search of MEDLINE (through PubMed) was conducted to find the role of NUS in improving women’s empowerment and nutrition in SSA. Searcher were performed using keywords related to the NUS and their role in improving women health and nutrition, in a sustainable way. These keywords included the following terms: “malnutrition”, “micronutrients deficiency”, “hidden hunger”, “Sub Saharan Africa”, “Neglected and Underutilized Species” (NUS), “women”. Only the English-language publications were reviewed.
Discussion: women are the pillars of the food systems and they feed the world, not only because they are likely the key actors for African agriculture evolution, at both urban and rural smallholder levels, but also because they are primary caregivers and can affect their children’s nutrition indirectly through their own nutritional status as well as directly through childcare practices. Therefore,
guaranteeing a health condition of the women has an unequaled repercussion in the entire social system. NUS could represent an opportunity for food security and women’s empowerment, because their production and consumption could play a role in helping to improve the micronutrient content in their diets. NUS could represent an important way to revive the role of women also at a social level: the latter could play a key role to reverse the idea that NUS be a food of the poor social and they could represent an important opportunity to improve the role of woman in the African agricultural systems because many of these species can be cultivated for auto consumption in small lots of land nearby the households and provide income opportunities for both the rural and urban poor. Moreover, the NUS represent a way to enhance the local SSA agro-biodiversity in a sustainable way: they growing spontaneously, are more resistant to diseases and to harsh farming conditions than staple crops because of the low-input farming systems in marginal environments where they have been selected. Lastly, NUS could also represent a substantial contribution to counteract the negative impact of Nutrition Transition, a phenomenon that refers to changes in dietary patterns as populations undergo demographic transition, urbanization and economic development.
Conclusion: the promotion, progressive adoption, and diffusion of NUS with a holistic approach to ensure food security in a sustainable way, considering plant characteristics, nutritional properties and positive health effects, should be considered as an opportunity to empower women, in a society where, they, are a part of a social vulnerable group and at the same time cover a central role in the food system.