With climate change presenting us with more and more challenges, scientists are racking their brains to find innovative solutions to ensure food security around the world. One of the ideas on the table? Find plants that can withstand extreme climatic conditions and offer a nutritious alternative to usual crops. This path could well revolutionize our ways of eating and farming, especially in sub-Saharan Africa.
The peppered spider plant: a new hope for Africa?
The peppered spider plant (Cleome gynandra) is one of the 52 species that researchers have identified for their ability to cope with a capricious climate. This research, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and relayed by Mongabay, seek to find nutritious alternatives to classic crops such as corn, rice, cassava and yams. In sub-Saharan Africa, this plant could become essential thanks to its resistance to the vagaries of the climate.
Scientists are working to find crops that not only survive but can thrive in harsh environments, particularly through innovations like satellite technology. Current and future bioclimatic studies predict that on the horizon 2070certain regions of Central and West Africa will see their arable land significantly reduced. For example, suitable climatic zones could fall by 14.5% to 17.7%making crop diversification even more urgent.
Climate change: a threat to our plate?
Global warming has already caused the average temperature to rise by around 1.1 degrees Celsius since 1850 according to NASA, which further complicates access to food and sends prices soaring. Products like olive oil or certain vegetables already feel these effects. In Africa, this is particularly worrying since up to 9 % national budgets are dedicated to combating “climate extremes”.
These economic pressures add to the fact that approximately 118 millions of people will live below the poverty line in difficult climatic conditions by 2030. Corn, essential in this region, will be among the most impacted crops with up to a quarter of areas affected in the west and a third in the center.
Towards dietary diversity: what are scientists doing?
Enoch Achigan-Dako emphasizes that “the necessary diversity is already available” to support our diets and economies thanks to plants that are often set aside. Efforts to boost the natural resistance of plants are booming; for example, some British researchers are working on this while the University of Maryland is even developing heat-resistant apples.
To promote this dietary diversity, it is important to further explore the potential of plants such as black nightshade, leafy amaranth and even leafy cowpea. They can be easily integrated into our daily culinary life with a peanut sauce for a balanced meal.
-Gardening at home: towards a sustainable future?
Growing your own food could also play a significant role in this dietary change. With less than 70 dollarswe can save several hundred each year while ensuring a healthy diet thanks to disease-resistant varieties that are already available.
Maarten van Zonneveld reminds us that “if you don’t know what you have, you can’t conserve it”, thus emphasizing how crucial it is to know and protect our agricultural biodiversity.
Faced with an uncertain future due to climate change, adopting these new agricultural and food practices becomes essential to guarantee our global food security. Changing our agricultural methods today can not only improve our climate resilience but also enrich our diets while preserving our environment for those who come after us.
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