Economic potential of neglected and underutilised crop species: A review

Kateřina Šrámková

Bachelor's thesis

Abstract:

World crop production depends on a few major crops. The minor species so-called neglected and underutilized crop species (NUS) have been overlooked by the world economy, despite the fact they have great potential for improving food security, balanced diets, income of rural households and preserving agro-ecosystems in changing climate conditions. Aim of this review was to analyse available scientific literature dealing with NUS species with specific focus on socio-economic aspects of studies to recommend sources and goals for further research. Thompson Reuters ISI Web of Science database and its tools were exclusively used for the purpose of the research. Studies were assessed according to number of quotations, scope of the data collection methodology and evaluations of journals. Based on analysis of abstracts, keywords and titles of the articles were found nine studies dealing with economic potential out of the total of 360 considered articles. Their closer analysis highlighted with coincided the articles, what they recommend in conclusions and what methodology they used. This review took a picture of the interest of the scientific community on NUS and underlined the need for further research, however, economic studies remained rather limited and always were part of interdisciplinary papers. Based on these aspects were recommended journals such as Economic Botany, Mountain Research and Development, and Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution as suitable for publication economically oriented studies on NUS and/or for getting recent valuable findings on focused topic.

Keywords

value chain, minor crops, underexploited herbs, market niche, food security

Jazyk práce: English

Datum vytvoření / odevzdání či podání práce: 21. 4. 2017

Obhajoba závěrečné práce

• Vedúci: Ing. Vladimír Verner, Ph.D.

Czech University of Life Sciences Prague

Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences

Bachelor programme / odbor:
Tropical Agriculture / Sustainable Development in the Tropics and Subtropics