UNDERUTILIZED PLANTS OF AFRICA

Agriculture is under pressure to produce greater qualities of food, income medicine and biofuels on limited land resources. Wider use of today’s underutilized plants provides more options to build a solid cropping system and will enhance the resilience of both biotic and abiotic stress. Presently many cereals, legumes, fruits, vegetables’, and tubers are neglected or underutilized even though they are essential source of vitamins, minerals and nutrients. These plants play a major role in sustenance of the society through their products and uses, not only in food security, income and nutritional values but also in production of raw materials for secondary production and ethno medicinal benefits. There is a need to make stronger the gains made and propose a strategic way of translating underutilized crops into main stream agriculture. Underutilized plants are also seen as offering economic advantages due to their uniqueness, suitability to environments in which they are grown and low input requirements. This research shows that the underutilized plants are less utilized or used as a result of lack of public awareness, research, and social perceptions as “food for the poor”. Educating publics on the medicinal, nutritional and market income benefits of these plants will help enhance their utilization.