Steps to transform African opportunity crops into reality crops.

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Science
• Food Systems Resilience
• Crop Breeding

Background:

• Global agriculture's reliance on a limited number of staple crops creates vulnerability to climate change, biodiversity loss, and nutritional deficiencies.
• This narrow crop diversity poses significant risks to food security and ecosystem stability worldwide.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce the Vision for Adapted Crops and Soils (VACS) initiative.
• To outline VACS's strategy for enhancing global food system resilience by focusing on underutilized "opportunity crops."
• To advocate for a paradigm shift in agricultural development towards market-oriented, diversified crop portfolios.

Main Methods:

• Modernizing market orientation and breeding programs for opportunity crops like amaranth, Bambara groundnut, finger millet, okra, pigeon pea, sesame, and taro.
• Implementing a business unusual approach with market-guided prioritization and long-term breeding strategies.
• Leveraging grassroots science networks and lessons from major crop programs to ensure scalability.

Main Results:

• VACS aims to build more resilient food systems by diversifying beyond staple crops.
• The initiative focuses on enhancing the capacity for opportunity crops through strategic breeding and market integration.
• A business unusual approach, driven by grassroots science, is key to translating potential into impact.

Conclusions:

• Diversifying crop portfolios with opportunity crops is essential for building resilient global food systems.
• Market-guided prioritization and long-term breeding strategies, supported by grassroots networks, are crucial for agricultural adaptation.
• The VACS initiative offers a scalable model for enhancing food security and sustainability through crop diversity.